The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down
by WingedArcher1
Summary: It's Maria's 18th birthday and I have a big surprise for her. The only light in here is coming from sparse light reflecting off five rings. Four are on my body, one is in a small black box I have in my hand. I've changed so much in the last 14 months since I saved Maria. You probably want to know how I did that.
1. How Shadow Saved Maria

**A/N- So here we go again. For those of you who don't know, this story is connected to one of my other ones **_**The Blue Blur Slows Down. **_**The good thing is that you don't have to read that one to enjoy this story. In fact, it's kinda better if you haven't because if you have you already know some things that will happen. Anyway, I hope everyone new and old will enjoy this story.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 1

**Shadow POV**

Why didn't I put air holes in this box? Good thing I don't need good air quality to survive. It's Maria's 18th birthday and I have a big surprise for her. The only light in here is coming from sparse light reflecting off five rings. Four are on my body, one is in a small black box I have in my hand. I've changed so much in the last 14 months since I saved Maria. You probably want to know how I did that. Well, me, Sonic, Amy, Silver, and Blaze were fighting a being from the future who called himself Mephiles. His whole thing was that he had a Chaos Emerald that could cause time travel. After Blaze had sealed him in a vessel, Silver created a time portal and she threw it in. After that I saw my chance.

"Can you send me to a specific time?" I asked Silver.

"I don't know, probably. Why?"

"Because I want you to send me to June 19th, 1951 aboard the space colony ARK." That was the day she died. Silver's face contorted in concentration.

"Okay, it's set." He said. I took a few steps forward before Sonic stopped me.

"Are you sure about this?" I could tell he was genuinely concerned.

"No," I answered truthfully, "but wouldn't you do it if it was Amy?" I knew that was a low blow, but I also knew it would work. Sonic let me go and I prepared to jump into the portal.

"Well, whatever you do, do it quick. I don't know how long I can hold this thing open." Silver said starting to sweat. I had taken this into consideration and replied calmly.

"Don't worry if I don't come back." And with that I jumped head first into the portal. Inside was surreal. I saw pictures of things that must have happened in the past. I was even in some of them. I was floating towards a picture that looked like a room on the ARK. I went through it and landed on the floor on my stomach. Looking around I knew exactly where I was. I knew the escape pods were a few rooms down so I went to the metal door and punched in the code I still remembered. The first thing I saw surprised me. I saw my younger self running with Maria right behind. Looks like I was just in time as always. Since I knew who was following them I stood at the ready to take down the G.U.N. soldiers.

"Look, there it is! Open fire!" One of them called out. After that I Chaos Controlled all around them knocking heads together, throwing punches, and dodging bullets. After a minute all ten of them were down and I headed to the escape pod bay. I cracked the door open and looked inside. My younger self was in the escape pod and Maria was about to pull the lever. Now since I slightly changed the past she said something slightly different than before.

"Don't worry Shadow, I'll be right behind you. But if don't make it, promise me you'll help the people down there to live happy lives to the best of your ability. Can you do that for me?"

"I promise Maria." My younger self said. She pulled the lever and he shot out into space. That's when I ran into the room. Obviously Maria was confused.

"What? Shadow, I just sent you out into space!"

"There's no time to explain, I'm here to save you. Do you trust me?" I asked.

"Of course I do Shadow." She answered.

"Then grab my hand." She did so and I Chaos Controlled us back to the room with the portal.

"What is that?!" Maria asked.

"A portal to the future. We won't be chased anymore there and we'll be on the planet."

"Okay, I trust you Shadow. Let's do it." So I wrapped my right arm around her and we both jumped in. We were speechless as we floated towards the end. Once again we landed on our stomachs, but we were back on Mobius. I stood up and stuck out my hand for Maria to take. I didn't take a good look at her until Sonic spoke up.

"I thought you said Maria was a human." He said cocking his head to the side a bit. I looked over to my right to see a blond spined hedgehog that was wearing Maria's outfit. I was, I guess regretful would be close enough, when I spoke to her.

"I'm sorry Maria, I don't know what happened." What she did next surprised me.

"Sorry?" She asked excitedly. "This is great! I've always wanted to be a hedgehog like you." She bent down and hugged me around the neck, smiling the same smile I enjoyed so much on the ARK.

"I think I can explain what happened." Blaze said breaking the scene up. "The Chaos Emeralds are said to grant people's deepest desires. Maria said she wanted to be a hedgehog, and now she is."

"I'm just happy she's alive." I said not caring about an explanation. After that Blaze went back to Silver and Sonic to Amy, leaving us alone.

"Shadow?" Maria asked.

"Yeah."

"Was I going to die on the ARK?" She asked simply.

"Yes you were. I've been waiting over 60 years to find a way to save you."

"60 years!" She exclaimed.

"Well, 50 were in a stasis tank." I said trying to calm her.

"What happened?"

"It's a long story, but I'll have time to tell you later." I was feeling good about myself. "And since you obviously don't have anywhere to stay, I was thinking you could stay with me."

"Yay!" She said jumping up and clapping.

"But we're going to the hospital for a checkup since your body has changed so much." She looked older that she did before for some reason.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Hey, here's another one. How about you tell me what happened as we walk to your house."

"Fine. It all started when I woke up to see a bald fat man with a huge mustache."

**A/N- Don't worry, most of the chapters of this story will have original content in them. Just know I had to work around some of the parts of the other story and there will be parts where dialogue will be the same as **_**The Blue Blur Slows Down**_**.**** As a disclaimer, any discrepancies or differences between dialogues in this story and the other will be accounted to the fact that each person remembered the same events differently. **


	2. What's up Doc?

**A/N- Nothing to say except feel free to ask any questions about the story. I will have an answer about 98% of the time.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 2

**Maria POV**

The next morning I woke up to the sun's rays hitting me straight in the face. I opened my eyes and saw that the events of yesterday actually happened. I was laying in Shadow's bed on the planet that I would always look down on. I was so happy I immediately shot out of the bed to look for Shadow. I didn't have to look long since he was sitting in a small wooden chair exxxt to the bed sleeping. He looked so peaceful, but I just had to wake him up. I pinched his nose since I knew it would work.

"Maria no," he started mumbling randomly, "Sonic watch my back. Silver has pot for spines." I started shaking him after that. I don't know why he said Silver's spines looked like a pot though, because it actually looks like a leaf.

"Shadow, wake up!" I said a bit firmly.

"Huh, what? Maria? What time is it?" He asked drowsily.

"10 in the morning." I answered looking at the clock.

"Hm, can't believe I slept that long. Must have been because of the fight."

"When did you go to sleep?"

"Five, like I usually do."

"Oversleeping for you is five hours?!" I asked disbelieving what he said.

"Didn't you always wonder why I was never still in bed with you in the morning on the ARK?"

"I always thought someone just moved you."

"Nope, I usually only need three hours of sleep to function at peak levels." About that time my stomach rumbled.

"Well one thing I do remember is that you don't eat much either. Do you have any food here?"

"Luckily for you I just bought some last week. I think I have cereal and milk if that's okay with you."

"Better than nothing I guess." I said as we walked to the kitchen. I kinda tripped over something on the way there, but Shadow caught me. "Thanks Shady." As soon as I said his old nickname his face went blank for a few seconds. "Shadow? Shadow?! Snap out of it!" I said waving my hand in front of his face. He shook his head.

"Sorry, you calling me that reminded me of something."

"What was it?"

"Nothing you want to hear." I took his word for it and sat down on his small couch since he didn't have a kitchen table. I felt a lump under the cushion and after investigating I found a gun under it.

"Shadow, why is there a gun under your couch cushion?" I asked as he handed me a bowl and sat down next to me. He was just reaching inside the box to eat his cereal.

"Because if it was inside the cushion I couldn't reach it in time." I had a feeling that was a joke so I chuckled. "But seriously, it's for emergencies. It's non-lethal though and I'm not telling you where the lethal ones are."

"Why have guns period?" I asked.

"Because one day we're going to somehow lose our powers or something and I want to be prepared." Shadow said confidently. Thinking about that I asked about something else I was wondering about.

"Do you think I have any special abilities now that I'm a hedgehog?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking tomorrow we could go to the park and test and see if you do, depending on what the doctor says of course."

"Speaking of that, when are we going?"

"Right after you finish eating if that's okay with you."

"Sure." So after I was done we went outside to leave. Then Shadow did something unexpected, he picked me up. "What are you doing?" I asked surprised.

"Well, the city is a few miles away and we don't really know if you can walk that far yet, so thought I'd carry you."

"You're so sweet Shady." I said wrapping my arms around his neck as he took off. I think I saw his face redden when I did. Anyway, we got to the hospital and had to wait about an hour to be seen by a doctor. Some of the people there were very interesting. There was this green bird guy who said he broke his arm on something called 'Extreme Gear', a purple chameleon who had chickenpox, and a cute little rabbit girl who had a stomachache. "Do you know those people?" I asked Shadow.

"Kind of. The bird's name is Jet, he's okay but can be a jerk at times. Espio is the one with the chickenpox. He's a ninja so he's very chivalrous. And the rabbit is named Cream. She's Amy's best friend and that blue thing following her is called a Chao."

"Amy?" I asked.

"The pink hedgehog that was there when we got back. The one who I said helped me remember what I promised you. She's nice, you should try to be friends with her."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Just watch out for her hammer."

"What hammer?"

"You'll see, believe me." And that's how the hour went, me asking about people and Shadow telling stories about them. Some of them were kinda funny too. Anyway, at about 12:30 the doctor called our names.

"Shadow and Maria?" He asked and we followed him. He led us to a room and said he would be back in a few minutes.

"Does everyone here go by their first name?" I asked.

"Mostly. The only two I know off the top of my head are Amy's, which is Rose, and that of the royal family, which is Acorn."

"Weird."

"Maybe to you. Oh, and you might not want to tell people your last name."

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you later, I promise. You're not really ready to hear it yet." Something told me it was something bad so I let it go. Then the doctor came back in. He only wanted to run a few simple tests, which I was okay with since I was tested every day on the ARK, but Shadow wanted everything to be tested, my blood, my eyes, even my spines. So after about two hours the doctor had a verdict.

"Well Miss Maria, you seem to be a perfectly healthy 16 year old girl." He said.

"16?" Shadow asked practically reading my mind. "Must have been the Chaos Emeralds."

"Yes, I was going to mention some Chaos Energy spikes, but if she's been around the Chaos Emeralds that should explain them."

"What about her NIDS?" Shadow asked. The doctor gave him a look that said, 'Are you stupid?'

"Um, hedgehogs are immune to NIDS. Didn't you know that?"

"Not until right now." I was thoroughly relieved, I wasn't dying anymore.

"And let me tell you, it's refreshing to finally see a boyfriend take such good care of the girl he likes." What?

"I'm not her boyfriend." Shadow stated simply.

"Oh, well I just assumed. You two do look good together though." And with that we left.

"This is great!" I exclaimed as we got to Shadow's house. "I'm not dying anymore, I'm 16, and I'm with you, my best friend in the world. By the way, what is this planet called?"

"Mobius."

"Good to know." Then a weird thought crossed my mind as Shadow walked into the house. I'm 16 now, why couldn't Shadow be my boyfriend?

**A/N- Deus Ex Chaos Emeralds is all I have to say about the end of the chapter.**


	3. Maria Takes a Level in Badass

**A/N- I learned something interesting yesterday. There is a TV Trope page about the kind of story this is. It is called a POV Sequel, where the same events happen through the eyes of different characters. The more you know I guess. Enjoy the chapter. **

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 3

**Shadow POV**

"So where are we going to start?" Maria asked me enthusiastically. She's just like I remembered, smiling and ready for anything. Anyway, we were in a clearing in the park. There were a few people walking around, but everyone has gotten used to seeing strange things happen around here.

"Well first we're going to see if you have any powers that are the same as Sonic and his friends, starting with mine." I pulled out the green Chaos Emerald and handed it to her. "Sonic let me borrow this for the day. I want to see if you can use Chaos Control."

"Okay. Should my body feel all tingly when I hold this?"

"Yeah, that's normal."

"Okay then, CHAOS CONTROL!" Nothing happened. "Oh well, what's next?" For the next few hours we tried all sorts of things. All we found out was what she couldn't do. But, to her credit, she stayed happy the entire time.

"So what we know is that the Chaos Emerald makes you tingly and that's about it. Okay, I want to test two more things, your strength and speed."

"I take it that's what the weights are for?"

"Precisely. Now first try and pick up the small ones." She bent down and picked up all three easily. Then she started juggling them. "Wow, that's really good." I said impressed.

"Thanks, the idea just came to me."

"Okay, now try the big one." Again she did it easily. It ended up that she could lift all the weights I brought at the same time, and that was about 300 pounds.

"Am I supposed to be able to lift all these?" Maria asked.

"Normally I would say no, but you seem to have some measure of super strength. Do you think you could lift anything else?"

"Yeah, I could lift some more. But you don't have any more weights." She was right but I had a plan. I stood on top of all the weights.

"I weigh about 75 pounds so if you lift me it will be 375 pounds."

"Okay, here goes nothing." Maria said as my body was lifted off the ground and over her head. "This is fun." She said as I jumped down.

"It looks like you're about as strong as Amy. Now let's test your speed. Can you roll into a ball like this?" I asked demonstrating.

"I don't think so." Maria said falling over.

"Okay, that's fine. I'll teach you how to do it later. Now we're going to run along the path. I want you to try to stay right beside me as I speed up okay?"

"Uh-huh." So we started at a slow jog. After each lap I would speed up to a pace relative to someone I know. First Cream, then Espio, Rouge, Amy, and Knuckles. When I sped up to Tails' speed Maria kept up for a few seconds, but then she fell behind.

"You're decently fast as well." I said running backwards so she could catch up.

"Why thank you." She said with a smile. Then her eyes bugged out. "Shadow, watch out!" Before I knew it I tripped over a root and fell down. Maria tried to grab my hand but she ended up falling on me as well. She started giggling. "So, you're not perfect." She said amused.

"Never said I was." I said. Then I realized what position we were in. I felt my body heat up and I moved Maria off of me. I saw she was blushing. I guess she was embarrassed too.

"Aw, you're no fun." She said disappointed. She enjoyed that? "Shadow, your leg, it's bleeding." I looked down and saw she was right.

"I'll be fine. Believe me, I've had worse." But as we got up something happened. Maria's hand brushed against the cut and it healed itself. "Maria, did you see that?"

"See what?"

"You just healed my cut by touching it."

"Really? That's amazing!" She said giving me a hug and making my body warm up again. What is going on with me?

"And it really suits you too. You always wanted to help people, now you can." Her smile was so beautiful I kinda got lost in it.

"Mobius to Shadow, are you there?"

"Sorry, what?"

"I was asking if we could get some lunch."

"Of course, we can go back to my house to eat. Then I thought we could start doing some self-defense training. A lot of weird things happen and it's good to be prepared."

"Sounds like fun."

**Maria POV**

I don't know what's wrong with Shadow. Every time I try to get close to him he starts acting real stiff. Like earlier in the park, I kinda enjoyed out little moment but he just shook it off. And then while he was teaching me some self-defense, he would be really charming and nice when he talked, but when I got physically close he would stop talking and tense up. What happened to the Shadow that picked me up yesterday? Did the doctor's comment affect him that much?

"Are you feeling okay?" I finally asked him.

"Yeah, it's just, I'm not used to people being this close to me without them trying to kill me." He was lying through his teeth but I was going to let it go. Maybe I could ask his friends about him.

"I guess after what you've been through that makes sense. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you have any sort of job?" He actually tensed up more at that.

"Somewhat. I freelance as a government agent from time to time." He answered vaguely.

"Really? That's pretty cool. What agency do you work for?" He paused again before answering.

"G.U.N." He mumbled almost inaudibly.

"G.U.N.?! You work for the people who almost killed you? And me?"

"Well, they're not trying to kill us now!" He rebutted.

"But what if they do again?" He couldn't answer for a while.

"I-I don't know Maria, I don't know." He hung his head but I immediately wrapped him in a hug. He seemed too depressed to be stiff.

"I'm sorry if that made you upset, I'm just worried about you. You're my only friend at the moment and I know you would blame yourself if something were to happen to me again. Do you see where I'm coming from?"

"I understand Maria, thank you." He said looking at my face. I felt an inclination to kiss him right there but before I could act on it Shadow asked, "You want some dinner? I need to work on my cooking skills anyway."

"Sure, what are you wanting to make? You could teach me."

"I was thinking spaghetti."

"Sounds good. What's spaghetti?"

**A/N- I'm sure someone is going to tell me whose faster than who now, but that list was of my own experience with the characters and it doesn't matter anyway because I was just trying to put limits on Maria's speed.**


	4. Final Mission

**A/N- Finally, the other characters start showing up.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 4

**Shadow POV**

I woke up at 8 like I usually do the next morning, although what Maria said to me yesterday was bouncing around in my head the entire time. So as I ran to the G.U.N. base I knew what I was going to do. I had a mission today and it would be my last. I'll skip all the boring stuff and get to the action. Rouge and I were trying to rescue some government officials from a terrorist group.

"So why now? Why just out of the blue you up and quit?" Rouge asked from behind me. We were climbing through the air ducts so it was kinda echoy.

"I have my reasons." I answered vaguely.

"Come on Shad, I'm your friend. You can tell little ol' me can't ya?" She was right, she deserved a better answer after all these years.

"Well it was something Maria said to me yesterday. It got me thinking that I shouldn't be working for the people who tried to kill us both. It would be hypocritical or some weird Stockholm Syndrome thing. You understand?"

"Uh-huh, I get it." I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, except that you're in love." My mind went blank for a second.

"No, I'm not in love with Maria, I just care about her and value what she says." I had hoped that would have gotten her of my back. It didn't.

"Whatever you say hon, you may not know or want to admit it yet, but you are in love with that girl." I was going to say something else but my earpiece started yelling at me.

"Will you two ladies stop jabbering about?! The terrorists will hear you and start shooting people."

"Yeah, yeah Topaz. We're reaching the exhaust vent now." I said to calm her down.

"And for what it's worth, I agree with Rouge." As I turned around to look down through the vent I saw Rouge grinning at me. I kept quiet and observed the room below us.

"Okay, I see the governor and his wife. They're tied up to some chairs and are being guarded by four targets each holding a gun in their hand. Do you copy?"

"Copy. Proceed however you wish, but be careful." Topaz said.

"Copy." To Rouge I asked, "So, do you want to save the people or beat up the guards?"

"It's your last mission, you choose." She answered.

"Okay, you drop down first and distract the guards and I'll Chaos Control the hostages to the boat outside. Is the boat in position Topaz?"

"Copy that, ready and waiting."

"Good, we'll go on three. One, two." And on a silent three Rouge dropped down on top of one of the guards. I have no doubt in her skills so I quickly teleported the couple to the boat and then went back. I hid behind a chair ready to give back-up if needed. I saw Rouge standing there with one of the guards aiming his gun at her. I would have been worried if this wasn't like the 50th time this had happened to either of us.

"Now you wouldn't shoot little ol' me would you?" Rouge asked buying time so I could sneak up on the guy.

"Yeah I would, you took out all my friends. The only reason I'm not going to is because I need leverage to get out of here."

"You wouldn't have the chance anyway, my partner wouldn't let you."

"Yeah, and where is he?"

"Right here buddy." I said punching him in the face from behind. Him and his gun fell to the floor. Then the dumbest thing happened. The gun went off and the bullet grazed my side. "Ow! Damn that smarts!"

"You okay?" Rouge asked.

"Yeah, I'll live. It's not like that one time I got stabbed while we fought those pirates. You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Rouge said looking at her watch. "Oh drat, I'm late for my date."

"Knuckles?" I asked.

"Knuckles."

"It's about time."

**Maria POV**

I woke up at 9:30 and immediately saw a note lying on the bedside table. It read:

_To Maria,_

_ I'm out on a mission and won't be back until dinner. Feel free to do whatever you feel like. Attached are directions to some places you could go like the houses of people I trust and the mall and grocery store. Have fun and make a ton of friends._

_Shadow_

Just like he said there were directions to quite a few places. So after I ate breakfast I started going to those places. The list was in alphabetical order so the first place was Amy's house. I knocked on the door a few times but no one was there. I looked at the directions and noticed a note I hadn't seen before.

_If Amy isn't home she's probably at Sonic's house since they are in a relationship._

Well that made sense. So I went to the next set of directions which were to Blaze and Silver's house. I knocked on their door a few times and was about to leave when Blaze answered the door. She looked kinda stressed out with her fur a bit frizzled and her eyes slightly bloodshot.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She was still looking pretty good even with her current state of affairs.

"I could be better." She said tiredly.

"Maybe I should come back at a better time." I said not wanting to stress her out more.

"Nonsense. Besides I needed to ask you something anyway. Come on in." As I walked in I saw all sorts of papers strewn all about everywhere. The kitchen wasn't much better either.

"What's all this stuff for?" I asked trying not to step on anything.

"I'm trying to plan a wedding in a week and a half."

"Really? Whose wedding?"

"Mine." She stated simply.

"Well that's great!" I said excitedly. "Who is the lucky guy?"

"My best friend Silver." She answered happily.

"How'd you two meet?" I asked.

"Well, sit on the couch and I'll tell you. Would you like something to drink?" I nodded and she went to the kitchen. She came back with two cups held on two small plates. I took my drink and looked at it quizzically. "It's herbal tea. It's more for me than you because it's supposed to calm your body." I took a sip and it tasted okay.

"This is good." I said.

"Thank you. Now let's see, I met Silver about 200 years from now." I was so surprised I spit the tea out of my mouth.

"W-What?" I finally got out after a few coughs.

"We were sent back in time by one of our enemies and decided to stay in this time so our future wouldn't happen because it's pretty bad."

"Oh, okay I guess." Would I ever get used to this?

"Anyway, I met Silver when I was eight. My life was hard to say the least. Running every day, fighting for my life, not having my parents around. The day I met Silver, all of that changed. I was being bullied around my some older guys when he came around and saved me. He was the only person in years who wasn't scared of me or my powers." She put a flame in her hand for dramatic effect for that last part. "We became fast friends and things went on from there. He knew before I did though."

"That's a really interesting story. By the way, I think your powers are cool."

"Thanks, that means a lot."

"You're welcome. Now what were you going to ask me?"

"Well, I need another bridesmaid and I was wondering if you had any experience as one."

"Actually, as weird as it sounds, I do. There was a wedding on the ARK and I was a part of it."

"Well, would you like to be in mine?"

"Of course." I said. Then we shared a short hug. "Just wait until I tell Shadow."

**A/N- It's interesting to note that the same person who voiced Maria in **_**Shadow the Hedgehog**_** also voice Blaze from 2005-2009. That makes me wonder if Shadow had an ARK flashback when he met Blaze since they would have similar voices.**


	5. My Cousin the Evil Genius

**A/N- It was brought to my attention that I was wrong about the Maria and Blaze being the same voice thing, which is disappointing. It's disappointing to you guys because I told you something that was false and I never like doing that. And it's disappointing to me because I wanted to make a joke during the story about it. So sorry for any confusion. Someone really needs to fix that Imdb page.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 5

**Shadow POV**

I woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs being cooked. Confused I got up off my couch and headed to the kitchen. When I got there I saw Maria was the one making the food.

"Good morning Shadow, would you like some eggs for breakfast?" She asked smiling.

"Sure." I said slowly, "Since when did you learn how to cook?"

"Since I found this cookbook in your closet." She answered waving it about.

"Hm, never knew I had this." I said taking it in my hand. I looked on the inside cover and saw that Amy had given it to me as a birthday present. "I'll have to thank Amy later."

"Me too. Now sit down, they're almost done I think." So I did and they were. They were good for a first attempt. On a side note, I really need a kitchen table to sit at.

"Those were good Maria, thank you." I said getting up to put my plate in the sink. As I did I heard Maria gasp.

"Shadow, what happened to your side?!" She asked getting up and coming over to me.

"It's nothing, really. A gun misfired on my mission yesterday and the bullet grazed me."

"How can you be so calm about all this?"

"Because it's happened before." I said shrugging.

"Well, at least let me look at it." Maria said a bit sternly. Then she bent down. "There's still dried blood on your spines. This is the kind of thing I'm worried about!"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that was my last mission." The look on Maria's face was priceless.

"Really?" Was all she could ask.

"Yes, really."

"Why?"

"What you said the other day really got to me. I realized you were right and I acted on it."

"I'm really that important to you?" She asked. I swear I saw a twinkle in her eyes when she did.

"Of course. You're my best friend and I care about what you think." After that we fell into a comfortable silence. In the back of my mind a voice was faintly saying 'kiss her' and I might have done it too if she hadn't interrupted my thoughts.

"Well, the least I could do is heal the scar." She said touching the wound with her hand. I felt a warming sensation and it was healed.

"How did you do that, I gave Sonic the Chaos Emerald back."

"I just did what I did before. What are you thinking?" She must have seen something on my face saying I was thinking.

"I'm thinking maybe it's like my Chaos Control, I can do it without needing an Emerald but with each one I do have it gets stronger."

"That would be kinda cool I guess."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't know how to test it out without almost killing myself. Anyway, I'm going to clean this blood off and then we're going to go somewhere."

"Ooh, where?"

"Well as a favor for my service G.U.N. let me have access to a certain prisoner on Prison Island." Maria was rightly confused.

"Who would I want to see there?"

"Your cousin."

**Maria POV**

I was in shock the whole way to the island. I had a relative still alive and he was in prison! I was going to have some questions I tell you what. Anyway, Tails came with us since he flew us there. He is really smart but also funny and joyful. He also didn't talk down to me like some of the scientists on the ARK.

"You want me to stay here or what?" He asked Shadow.

"No, you should come just in case something happens."

"My cousin is that dangerous?" I asked.

"You have no idea." Tails answered me in a very serious tone. Then we walked to the area where the prisoners could talk to guests through some glass.

"Now Maria," Shadow started, "he's going to try and push your buttons a lot. Even I have trouble staying calm around him, so be careful."

"Thanks Shadow, I'll try." I said. Then my cousin was walked in with four guards and his arms and legs chained together. "Ivo, is that you?" I murmured to myself.

"Ah, Shadow. Here to rub my latest defeat in my face? Or is Tails here doing drugs and you're trying to scare him straight?" Tails looked like he wanted to kill him with that remark. But luckily Shadow was on the ball.

"First off, no I'm not that much of a jerk. And second, if he was doing drugs it would be Sonic's problem. No offense Tails, but he is your best friend."

"None taken."

"Besides, I'm not here for me. I'm here for her." Shadow said pointing to me.

"Who is she? I've never…" Ivo replied trailing off. "No, it can't be, she died."

"They never found the body." Later Shadow would tell me he said that since he changed the past slightly.

"Time travel will get you every time." Ivo muttered. "So Maria, you're looking very animalistic at the moment." For some reason that made me feel weird.

"The Chaos Emeralds did it." I said timidly.

"Interesting."

"I don't understand Ivo, why are you in here?" I asked.

"I'm in here because the world doesn't understand my genius. I'm and outcast because of my superiority."

"Meaning he's tried to take over the world at least a dozen times." Tails added.

"Why would you do that?" I asked really upset.

"Because it's what I rightly deserve. I am the future of this world but no one sees it." He really believed everything he said was true.

"I'm starting to see why you don't want people to know my last name is Robotnik." I said to Shadow.

"Well, he goes by Eggman nowadays, so you should be okay." Tails said trying to reassure me.

"Well, thank you for taking me here Shadow, but I think I want to go now."

**Shadow POV**

"Why show me this?" Eggman asked after Maria and Tails left.

"Why won't you get it? This wasn't about you. Though this should show you what you could have been, or maybe, just maybe, hit a nerve and make you change your ways."

"You know she'll never love you right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"300 I.Q. remember? I see things. Good luck Emo boy." It took everything to not Chaos Blast and kill him. But first Rouge and now Eggman. And then that thought I had to kiss her. Am I falling in love with Maria?

**A/N- Man Eggman was a jerk this chapter, must be the prison food.**


	6. Sleep Next to Me?

**A/N- Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 6

**Maria POV**

So about a week and a half later we were standing inside a huge wedding hall for Blaze and Silver's wedding. And I have to hand it to Blaze, she stayed calm, cool, and collected during the entire planning process. Although it did help that she had Silver around, he always knew when she was getting too stressed and took her mind off it. Anyway, we were helping Blaze with the final touches when Vanilla knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything dears, but Sonic said he wanted to talk to everyone." She said.

"No, that's fine." Blaze said. "You guys go, he already told me and Silver."

"Okay then, he's waiting in that room over there." Vanilla said pointing. So me, Rouge, and Cream walked across the hall to the room. I had no idea where Amy was, Shadow randomly called her away a while ago and she never came back. Anyway, I stood next to Shadow and we had time to talk before Sonic got there.

"So, what do you think he's going to say?" I asked him.

"I have an idea since he asked me to distract Amy for a while."

"And your idea is?"

"I'll tell you after Sonic says what he needs to say." He said with a smirk that made my face flush.

"So, you're looking pretty sharp today." I said trying to change the subject.

"Well you know, black is my color." He said smirking again. You know, I'm finding it hard not to tackle him right now and kiss him all over. But he wasn't done yet. "And might I add you're looking quite beautiful today as well."

"R-Really?" Was all I could ask.

"Yes, really." He said softly. Then he started to lean in towards me. He's going to do it, he's going to kiss me. Or he would have if Sonic hadn't come in right at that moment.

"Is everyone here?" He asked as we all turned to face him.

"Everyone except Silver, Blaze, and Amy like you wanted." Shadow answered him.

"Okay guys, I called you all here to tell you something important." Sonic started. "I talked to Silver and Blaze and they were okay with me telling you all now."

"Telling us what?" Tails said, asking what was on all our minds.

"That you should keep your dresses and tuxedos if you can, because I'm going to propose to Amy soon." Wow, I showed up at just the right time didn't I? After we all calmed down Sonic continued. "And I know it's obvious, but don't tell Amy." But what he didn't know was Amy was right behind him.

"Don't tell Amy what?" Sonic's eyes bugged out so much when she asked that.

"Uh, Amy. I can explain."

"Explain what?" She's going to find out!

"Mr. Sonic was just telling us about an embarrassing picture he's in." Cream said thinking quickly.

"Embarrassing picture huh? Looks like I have some searching to do. Anyway, I came in here to tell you guys that Silver and Blaze are ready to go."

"Okay then, let's get them married." Sonic said sort of rushing us out so no one would let his secret slip.

"So, was that what you thought he would say?" I asked Shadow as the wedding began.

"Yeah it was." I deleted a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked worried.

"I'm okay, really." I still wasn't buying it, but I didn't have time to do anything before it was our turn to walk down the aisle.

**Shadow POV**

Maybe Eggman was right and this isn't meant to be. Not Silver and Blaze, they're perfect for each other. I'm talking about Maria and I. I'm so confused right now. I was so close to kissing her, but am I in love?

"Dude, you totally are." Did I say that last part out loud?

"When did you start sitting next to me Sonic?"

"Long enough to hear that last sentence." Darn it.

"Sonic, I really don't want to talk to you about this."

"I wasn't planning on it. But you should talk to Maria. From what Amy told me, she likes you too."

"I'll keep that in mind Sonic. And I'm happy for you and Amy, I really am. I'll see you when I see you." I said getting up to find Maria.

"Same here." Sonic said extending his hand. I shook it and walked over to where Maria was.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm getting a bit tired. How about you?"

"Not really, but I've talked to everyone I wanted to."

"You didn't talk to me."

"That's because I get to do that on the way home." I said with a smile. Then I chuckled a little.

"What's so funny?"

"You still have some cake on your face." I took a napkin and wiped it off. When I moved it away I saw she was blushing a little.

"Thanks Shady." She said quietly. Then we left to go back to my house. When we got to the door though something happened. As I was unlocking the door Maria moved over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I was shocked, as shown by what I said next.

"What was that for?" I asked her turning around to look at her face.

"Well, I never got to thank you for saying I looked beautiful." She answered. "Was that too much?"

"No, no, it was nice. Thank you." I saw Maria yawn as I opened the door. "Maybe you should get some sleep." I suggested.

"Okay." She said. Then there was a pause. "You know, you could sleep with me." What?! "I mean in the same bed!" She said quickly after seeing my face.

"I don't know." I said hesitantly.

"Come on, we did it on the ARK." She said trying to convince me.

"Yeah, but that was different. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it at this point of our relationship."

"Oh, okay." Great, I made her upset.

**Maria POV**

Okay, that proves it, he likes me. Now how am I going to get him to tell me? I thought that kiss would have done it or that he would want to sleep with me. Maybe he's had relationship troubles before? I should ask someone about that. Anyway, I will get to the bottom of this, even if I'm wrong.

**A/N- If by any chance you want to read what happened during the wedding, go to Chapter 18 of **_**The Blue Blur Slows Down**_**.**


	7. Advice Seeking

**A/N- A thank you for everyone whose read the story so far, it hit 1,000 hits last chapter. Enjoy the chapter.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 7

**Maria POV**

The next really important thing that happened came about two weeks later. I was sitting down to eat lunch with Shadow when his phone rang.

"Hello?" He said answering it. "You need something Sonic? Well it's about time, you said soon and it's been two weeks. That doesn't sound good. Are you serious?! Okay, okay, we'll try and be there. See you then maybe." Does anyone ever want to know what was said when someone talks on the phone? Because things can seem really confusing if you don't ask.

"So what did Sonic want?" I asked Shadow curious.

"Well, he finally proposed to Amy."

"Yay! Did he say when the wedding was?"

"Not yet, but he did say he ran into someone who claims to be an alternate version of himself.

"Huh?" Was all I could ask.

"Yeah, I know. Weird stuff like that happens to him, and by extension me, all the time. I'm betting this one will be evil since the last one was good." This has happened before?

"I'm sure you guys can handle whoever it is."

"Thanks Maria. Now, I hate to not eat and run, but I have a job interview to get to."

"Good for you. What kind of job?"

"Part time bodyguard for the royal family."

"Cool." And he was about to leave but I stood up and gave him a hug. "Good luck."

"I don't need luck, I have you." He said before speeding off. You see it's things like that that confuse me. He says things like that but won't just come out and say he likes me. That's is, I'm asking his friends today. Right before I left though the phone rang again.

"Hello, Shadow the Hedgehog's house, Maria speaking." I said answering it.

"Oh, hello Miss Maria. You're just the one I wanted to talk to." It was Amy's friend Cream.

"Really? What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, did you hear about Sonic and Amy?"

"Yeah, they called us a little while ago."

"Well, Blaze and I had the idea to go out for a girl's day with Amy to celebrate and we wanted to know if you wanted to come as well."

"That sounds like a great idea. What day were you thinking?"

"Tomorrow, after we meet up at the park."

"Okay, I can do that."

"And if you wouldn't mind, could you tell Amy about it, the rest of us are busy."

"I was just about to head over there now."

"Okay. Oh I just remembered, can you try and invite Rouge as well?"

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow, bye."

"Bye." And with that I hung up and prepared to leave. I took Shadow's directions and a bottle of water just in case. I put them both in a bag and headed out. It took me about 15 minutes to get there by walking. I knocked on the door and a minute later Amy answered it. She was smiling, and for good reason.

"Hi Maria, what are you doing here?" She asked cheerfully.

"Oh you know, I was in the area and I was wondering if you wanted to join me, Cream, and Blaze in a girl's day out tomorrow." I didn't mention Rouge since I hadn't asked her yet.

"That sounds like fun. Oh I know, we can all go to the mall after we go to the park."

"Yeah, Shadow told me about that. Is that kinda thing common around here?" I asked. Not that I didn't believe Shadow, but I wanted a second opinion.

"More often than you would think. But don't worry, you'll get used to it." I sure hope so. "And speaking of Shadow, how is he?"

"He's great, he even showed me around town and took me to some of the places he likes to run to." Like yesterday, he took me to a city called Westopolis and we went to the top of the tallest building.

"Must have been nice." Amy said.

"Yeah it was." I thought now would be the right time to ask about Shadow. "Can I ask you a question about him?"

"Sure." Amy said. She tensed up though when I asked that.

"Do you know how he is with girls?" I asked. She looked relieved that that was my question.

"I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend if that's what you're asking. If you're asking how he'd treat you, he would die multiple times to protect you and would never in a million years do anything to hurt you." Never had a girlfriend huh? Maybe he's just nervous? Anyway I had to go find Rouge so I tried to end the conversation quickly.

"That's what I thought, thank you Amy."

"Anytime. Just be careful okay?" Everyone around here is so nice.

"I will. See you tomorrow." I said as I walked away. I was happy so I skipped the first few steps before remembering to look at Shadow's directions.

_Now I don't exactly know where Rouge lives, but I know where she hangs out sometimes. First try near the Master Emerald shrine on Angel Island. Just watch out for Knuckles, he's always on a hair trigger._

As I got to the shrine the only thing that I saw was Rouge sitting on the Emerald.

"Hey sweet cheeks, what brings you to Angel Island?" She asked turning around.

"I was looking for you actually. Me and the girls are going to celebrate Amy's engagement by having a girl's day tomorrow and we wanted to know if you wanted to come."

"Aw, I would if I could, but I've got things to do after we're done at the park."

"What kind of things?" I asked.

"Top-secret things." She answered smiling.

"Oh."

"And speaking of those things, how's Shadow? I haven't seen him much since he quit G.U.N."

"He's good. He does seem to miss the stuff he used to do, but he has an interview to be a bodyguard today."

"That's good, I'm happy for him." Then she paused before asking, "Has he told you yet?"

"Told me what?" I asked confused.

"That he's in love with you." What?

"How do you know that?!" I asked shocked.

"Well, before you showed up I was the closest thing he had to a best friend. I knew the reason he quit G.U.N was because of you. And the way he talks about you, I know trust me."

"Oh, but no he hasn't told me."

"Just give him time okay, he's been through a lot. Don't act like Amy and go all psycho on him. Just be there for him and he'll come around, I know it."

"Thanks Rouge, you don't know how much that means to me."

"Oh I think I do, and you two would be a great couple." Let's hope so. Okay, step one done, step two tomorrow.

**A/N- And so starts another week. I hope you all have a good one and I will be back Wednesday.**


	8. Maria's Plan

**A/N- Enjoy the chapter.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 8

**Shadow POV**

The next morning I woke up with my head on someone's lap and a blanket on my body that I hadn't had before. As my eyes opened I saw the person was Maria and that she was asleep as well. Until I got up that is.

"Huh, what?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I woke up early and saw you out here. You looked cold so I gave you the blanket and sat down next to you. I guess I was still tired and fell back asleep."

"Then why was my head in your lap? Not that it was uncomfortable or anything."

"I don't know, maybe you moved in your sleep?"

"That sorta makes sense, I didn't have the greatest dream while I slept. Something about being in a cage and having wings and being emo." Maria chuckled at that. "What?"

"Like you're not emo enough already." She joked.

"You got me there, but you have to admit I'm getting better."

"True. You should have heard Amy talking about you smiling the other day. She went on for like ten minutes about it."

"Really, well I never smiled that much before you came around." I said lightly touching her nose. She giggled some more and I smiled.

"Yeah, but I don't see what Amy was talking about though." I was confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"She said it looked really creepy, but I think it's nice and warm."

"But you're my best friend, you're supposed to say that." I pointed out.

"Then I guess that makes me a good friend." She said with a smart-alecky grin. She couldn't hold it long before we both started laughing.

"Yeah, I guess it does. You need to eat before we leave for the park?" I asked getting up.

"Nah, I'll just eat a granola bar on the way there." I zipped into the kitchen to get her one and came back before she got up.

"Here you go." I said giving it to her. Then my head moved over to hers and my lips touched her forehead. It was quick, but I felt something there. That's it, I can't deny it anymore, I like her. That reminds me, Valentine's Day is tomorrow. I should get her something nice. Maria's voice knocked me out of my thoughts.

"Shadow I-" She stopped mid-sentence.

"What?"

"Thank you." I knew she wanted to say something but didn't. Could she like me back? I don't want to risk it though so I'll let her tell me when she feels comfortable. After that we left for the park. We were the second ones there after Sonic and Amy. For some reason I was feeling impatient.

"So when is this guy going to show up?" I asked. Then out of nowhere he showed up, and he was green. He had sunglasses on his head and a black leather jacket. But what I really noticed was the two huge scars on his chest.

"Hm, I thought there would be more of you." The guy said. Something was off about him though.

"Well, there would be, but some of our friends are out on business." Sonic said. Espio had told me that Sonic had hired the Chaotix to find out something about a purple hedgehog that was robbing banks.

"What's your name?" Cream asked nicely.

"Well technically it's Sonic, but nowadays people call me Scourge." That makes it easy to differentiate names I guess.

"If you're supposed to be Sonic, why are you green?" Good question Blaze. He answered by going into a long story about his universe and how it's crap. I didn't buy it though because he had a bunch of inconsistencies. After he left I had to talk to Sonic.

"Maria, I have to talk to Sonic, you have fun with the girls. I'll see you later." I told Maria. She gave me a hug and walked over to where Amy was. I walked over to Sonic.

"Hey, can I talk to you privately?" I asked. We walked a few yards away.

"What's up?" Sonic asked a bit confused.

"I don't trust that guy." I said getting to the point.

"What do you mean?"

"His story seemed fishy. First off, you could totally take Knuckles in a fight. Next, he didn't say anything about trying to get the Super Emeralds, because he could have used those to transform. And lastly, he was about to say suppression instead of serenity when describing his group, and I don't know about you, but suppression sounds like a bad thing." He must have thought we we're all stupid.

"But why would he lie like that?" Maybe he wasn't so off base. I almost face palmed at that question.

"So we would feel sorry for him and trust him. And we think Knuckles is gullible."

"Oh, can it Shad. But okay, I'll watch him closely and see if he does anything out of the ordinary."

"That's all I ask."

**Maria POV**

After we got done at the mall the guys showed up and took us to dinner at Olive Garden. And no offense to Shadow, but their spaghetti is better than his. I felt a little bad for Cream though, she was the only one who didn't have a date. Well, I guess I didn't either, but I had Shadow. But after dinner when we got to Shadow's house, my plan went into action. I know Rouge told me not to go crazy, but this wasn't that bad. I suggested that we watch a movie and I made sure it had a scary part in it so I could set up what I was going to do.

"So, how was your day with the girls?" Shadow asked sometime before that part.

"It was great!" I answered happily. "I had pizza for the first time, I got some new clothes and I think that the girls really like me."

"That's great Maria. And those clothes look really good on you by the way." He was looking straight into my eyes when he said that which made me blush.

"Aw, thanks Shady." I said my words failing. Then the scary part of the movie came. I wasn't scared but I made sure to clutch on to Shadow's arm and pull him closer to me.

"It's only a clown Maria." Shadow said chuckling.

"I don't like clowns." I said lying. After that we enjoyed the rest of the movie in a comfortable silence. When it was done I went to Shadow's room to supposedly to sleep. Shadow even said he was going to sleep so he could do something early in the morning. I waited about an hour before starting to scream, "Shadow! Shadow! NO! Shadow, save me!" I heard Shadow come in quickly. He started to shake me softly because he thought I was asleep.

"Maria, Maria! Wake up Maria."

"Shadow?" I asked pretending to wake up. "What happened?"

"You were having a bad dream. I don't know what about."

"Oh, well thanks for waking me up." He nodded and turned to leave. It's now or never. I grabbed his arm and he turned around. "Will you stay in here with me?" I asked giving him my best puppy dog eyes. It took him a second, but I got the answer I wanted.

"Sure." I smiled in the darkness and moved over so he could climb under the covers with me.

"Thanks Shadow, this is really nice of you to do." I said.

"It's no problem, really."

"Still, it's really nice." And with that I snuggled up next to him so my head rested on his fluffy chest fur. Surprisingly it felt better than my pillow.

"Goodnight Maria." Shadow said wrapping his arms around me.

"Goodnight Shady." All according to the plan. Now tomorrow on Valentine's Day I can get him to tell me he loves me.

**A/N- Me: You're sneaky, you know that Maria?**

**Maria: Hey, I do what I have to so I can get what I want.**


	9. I Don't Know

**A/N- Since I have nothing funny to say here I'll just say that if anyone needs a beta reader or just help writing in general, feel free to ask. I may not be the greatest resource of writing knowledge, but I'm willing to help and not be a jerk about it. **

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 9

**Shadow POV**

Now since I fell asleep at about midnight that meant I was going to wake up at three in the morning. I quietly got out of my bed without disturbing Maria. She looked so peaceful, more so than usual. I pulled the blanket over her shoulders and then wrote another note in case I didn't get back before she woke up. As I set it down on the bed side table Maria started murmuring in her sleep.

"Mm, hm, thanks for saving me. I love you too Shadow." Well, I can't say that wasn't unexpected, but it does make things a little weird for me. I mean I do like her, don't get me wrong, but I don't know if it's love. These feelings are so new to me, and I don't want to hurt Maria's feelings. Hopefully it will be some time before she says that to me for real. Anyway, I was heading out to get my motorcycle out of the repair shop. Let's just say I don't plan on racing with it anytime soon. And you might be wondering what repair shop is open this early. Well, I know a guy. It helps that he's an owl.

"Well, if it isn't my best customer, Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Don't you mean your only customer Merv?"

"Not since the Babylon Rogue's mechanic broke both her arms in an accident last week."

"That had to hurt." And wow they are getting unlucky lately, first Jet and now Wave. Storm better watch out.

"Yeah, and it's not like they would go ask Tails or anything. So, you here for your motorcycle?"

"What else would I be here for except your sparkling personality?" I joked.

"Ha, very funny." Merv said as he walked towards the back. He was back a minute later with my bike. "Might I suggest not letting it get hit with flaming missiles this time."

"I think her racing days are over. How much do I owe you?"

"Oh, I'd say 150 rings should do. I can charge you less since I actually have some business now."

"Sure thing." I said. Then I noticed a light blue helmet hanging on the wall behind the counter. "How much for that helmet?" I asked.

"Why? It ain't your color. And you don't wear helmets anyway."

"It's a present for a friend of mine."

"Would this friend be of a female persuasion?" Merv asked raising an eyebrow.

"How'd you guess?"

"Well it is Valentine's Day, and the look in your eyes give it away."

"Okay, you got me. How much?"

"Eh, it's on the house. What's her name?"

"Maria."

"What a lovely name, thought it does mean bitter in Hebrew." Merv said neatly writing her name in cursive on the helmet.

"That's the exact opposite of the way she acts." I said taking it and paying for the work done. "Thanks for the repairs."

"Any time, don't be a stranger." I nodded and pulled my bike out into the parking lot. I put the key in and turned the ignition. It roared to life and I grinned. I took it for a test drive around town to make sure it was okay. I kinda got lost in thought though and ended up getting back home at ten. I turned the engine off about a block away so I could surprise Maria. I propped it up in the garage and when I got inside the house I saw Maria leafing through the cookbook.

"Oh, hi Shadow. You have fun doing whatever it is you did?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I did. What are you doing?"

"I'm just looking for something to make for lunch. You want anything specific?"

"Not particularly, you can pick."

"Ooh, how about this, tossed fruit salad?"

"Okay, do we have the ingredients for that?"

"I think so, the recipe says it should take 20 minutes."

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"Aw, that's sweet, but I want to try by myself first."

"I get it, my spaghetti sucked and now you don't want me cooking." I joked.

"Yeah, let's go with that." She said in between giggles. So I just observed as she cut the fruit and added all the extra sugar and spices. And it was good, so good I had to tell her.

"That was a very good lunch you made Maria, thank you." I said getting up to put my dish away.

"Aw, it was nothing really, but you're welcome." Okay, now's a good time. Just stay calm.

"So, were you planning on doing anything today?"

"Well, Amy told me what today was, so I was going to give you this." She pulled out a small box and handed it to me. I was surprised she even knew. I'm going to have to be thanking Amy again.

"Maria, you didn't have to get me anything for Valentine's Day."

"I know, I just felt like it. Go ahead, open it." I did, and her present was a perfect transition into mine. It was a keychain with both our names on it in our respective colors. Red and black for me and light blue for her.

"This is really nice Maria," I said with a smile, "thank you. And I know exactly where I'm going to put it." I pulled out my motorcycle keys and clipped in on.

"What are those keys for?" Maria asked her eyebrows moving closer together.

"My motorcycle, I just got it back from the shop."

"I didn't know you had a motorcycle, that's so cool!" Maria said her eyes lighting up.

"You wanna go for a ride?" I tried to ask smoothly.

"Heck yeah! Oh, but wait, I don't have a helmet."

"You do now. Happy Valentine's Day."

**Maria POV**

As I lay here in bed all alone, I can only wonder, where did I go wrong? You're probably confused, so I'll explain. Shadow and I rode around on his motorcycle for hours just going around doing random fun things together. The last place we went was a big hill that had a view of the ocean. We were watching the sunset together when I decided to ask Shadow the question that has been on my mind for the last few weeks.

"Shadow, do you love me?" I know it was sudden, but I really had to know.

"Of course I do Maria." He said that way too fast and calmly. And he didn't look at me either.

"No, I mean are you in love with me?" He was silent for some time.

"Are you in love with me?" Is what he finally asked.

"I think so, these feelings are so new to me."

"Well, that's my problem. I know I like you, but I don't know if it's love. I don't want to toy with your emotions by saying I do now and then changing my mind. You're my best friend and I would hate to do that to you and then lose the connection we have. Do you understand?" I know he was trying to be nice, but I'm in love with him and I know deep down he is too. I guess I know how Amy felt now. After that we just went home and Shadow said he'd sleep on the couch, even after I offered for him to sleep in the bed with me again. Maybe something will happen tomorrow, I don't know. I'm out of plans.

**A/N- Threw a curve there didn't I? Of course some of you knew that was going to happen. But for those of you didn't, you'll see what happens on Monday. Have a great weekend. Oh, and thanks for the 50 reviews everyone. :)**


	10. I Do Know

**A/N- Okay, I'll be lucky if this chapter even goes up today because my computer is about to die. So after this chapter I'm taking a break from updating until I get a new one which should be about a week. But don't worry, I left you guys with something good. And I do not own the song used in the chapter.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 10

**Shadow POV**

Needless to say, I didn't get any sleep that night. All I could think about was the look on Maria's face when I said I didn't know if I loved her. It's like the lights in her eyes went out and the light blue in them dulled. And it was all my fault. All I want to do is make her smile as much as I can each day. I wish I was in that bed with her. You know what, I was wrong. I do know how I feel, I am in love with Maria Robotnik. I'm in love with my best friend. And I blew it. Damn, why do I have to be so stubborn? The sound of my phone ringing snapped me out of my depressing thoughts.

"Hello?" I said picking it up.

"Hey buddy, it's me Sonic."

"What do you want?" I said a bit harshly.

"Okay, sounds like I'm talking to old Shadow. Anything you want to talk about?"

"No."

"Alrighty then, well my brother and sister are in town and my brother is blackmailing me into inviting everyone to a karaoke place tonight. Think you two can make it?"

"I'll ask Maria, but no promises."

"Okay, are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You of all people should know what 'fine' means. Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. You're the last person I called, and I don't feel like dealing with Manic, so I've got all day to talk." I hate to admit this, but he's one of the two people I would ask for help about this problem. And considering the other person is Maria…

"Sonic, I think I blew it with Maria."

"I take it not in the good way." I took a deep breath so I wouldn't yell. As much.

"She is 16! What is your problem?!"

"My rock star brother woke me up at six in the morning after only five hours of sleep. So I'm a bit loopy."

"Whatever, you awake enough to help me out?"

"Sure. What happened?"

"Well, yesterday while we were watching the sunset, Maria asked me if I loved her. I said I didn't know, but now I do. What should I do?"

"Just tell her."

"But what if I hurt her feelings too much for her to still like me?

"If what Amy told me is true, she still likes you. Think about it, I blew off Amy for ten years, you only did it for one day. If you really want to make sure, tell her in a special way."

"A special way, huh?"

"Yeah. Look, I gotta go, Manic is pulling out his drum set and I have to make sure he doesn't blow my house up with it. See ya." And with that Sonic hung up. I sat back down on the couch and thought about what I could do. Then the perfect idea came to me.

**Maria POV**

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing in the living room. I looked over and saw it was 9:30. That means Shadow is going to be out there. I waited a few minutes to go out there and when I did I saw Shadow sitting on the couch. There was a gleam in his eyes as he looked at me.

"What are you so excited about?" I asked amused.

"You'll see later, I hope."

"Okay," I said slowly, "who was on the phone?"

"It was Sonic, he invited us to go to a karaoke place to meet his brother and sister. You want to go?"

"Depends, what's karaoke?"

"It's where you are given lyrics to a song and you try and sing as best as you can. Or you act really silly, your choice."

"That sounds interesting, when would we go?"

"You know what, that's a good question. I didn't ask him." So Shadow called Sonic back while I made breakfast. "So, he said we would all meet up at his house at six." He said sitting down.

"Whose all coming?"

"Well Sonic, Amy, and his siblings. Then he said he invited Tails, Cream, Blaze, and Silver. And I know for a fact Rouge and Knuckles are out of town."

"Okay, although I don't think I'll be that good at it."

"As long as you're not as bad as Vector you'll be fine." He reassured me. It made me feel better. Anyway, nothing interesting happened until we got to Sonic's house. Shadow knocked on the door and an almost burgundy hedgehog opened it.

"Sonic! More of your friends are here!" She called out. To us she said, "Hi, Sonia the Hedgehog, keyboardist extraordinaire." She stuck out her hand to shake. I took it.

"My name's Maria, I take it you're Sonic's sister?"

"The one and only. So whose Mr. Short, Dark, and Handsome over here?" I didn't like her tone so I immediately got defensive and moved closer to Shadow.

"This is my best friend Shadow." I said glaring daggers.

"Nice to finally meet you. Now if you don't mind I need to get something to drink." Shadow said going inside, leaving us outside alone.

"He's mine." I said to her.

"I'm sorry if you took my comment about him the wrong way." Sonia said. "I just call them like I see them. Besides, I've got a boyfriend already." I backed off after that.

"No, I'm sorry. I've just been on edge lately with my emotions about him."

"Don't worry hon, he likes ya." Why does everyone keep saying that? Is it that obvious? Anyway, we walked into the house and I saw that everyone was already there. I also saw another green hedgehog that wasn't Scourge. When I walked up to him he tensed up like I was going to scream.

"Are you Sonic's brother?" I asked calmly.

"You bet. You want an autograph?" Huh? Is he that full of himself? Then Sonic popped over for a second.

"Manic, she doesn't know." He said before running off again.

"Well, that explains why you didn't scream like the others."

"Why would I?"

"Well, 'cause I'm a rock star. Most girls melt and scream my ears off when they meet me."

"Then I must be a refreshing surprise. Nice to meet you, my name's Maria."

"Manic the Hedgehog, world's best drummer and pickpocket."

"Pickpocket?" I asked, then he pulled out a wallet.

"I believe this is yours." He said handing it to me.

"Wow, you are good."

"The best." Then he called out to Sonic, "Hey bro, are we going to leave soon?"

**Shadow POV**

So, after running from crowds of screaming fan girls, we finally made it to our destination. I had the smart idea to Chaos Control everyone to the karaoke place so we wouldn't be followed. Walking in I saw Scourge sipping what looked like his 5th beer while trying to look down the waitress' shirt. Yeah, still don't like that guy. Anyway, while everyone else started singing, I leafed through the song list to see if they had the song I wanted. If they didn't I was going to do this when we got home. Luckily, they did. So after Amy took her turn I decided it was time. I told the DJ what song to play and stood up on the stage. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, so I started to tap my foot and close my eyes before beginning to sing.

_My Maria_

I saw Maria's head turn towards the stage when I started.

_Don't you know I've come a long, long way,_

_I've been longing to see her, when she's around she takes my blues away,_

_Sweet Maria, the sunlight surely hurts my eyes,_

_I'm a lonely dreamer on a highway in the skies._

I was going to have some trouble with the next part since the notes are so high.

_Mari-iii-a, Mari-iii-a I love you._

I was looking Maria dead in the eyes as I sang that part. She blushed so hard I almost laughed. As I sang the rest of the song I thought about how the lyrics pretty much summed up my life. Things like having blue and sorrow times, how thinking about Maria frees me from those times, things like that. Anyway, towards the end I pulled Maria up with me to dance while I finished. And I was happy, more so than ever before. When I was done singing I kept the microphone and turned to Maria.

"Maria, last night you asked me if I loved you and I said I didn't know. You seemed sad when I said that and it got me to thinking. It really hurt me to make you sad, and I never wanted to do that, ever. That made me realize something. If I feel that bad about it, and if I always want to be around you and see you smile, I must be in love. So, with all my friends, and Scourge who's smashed in the back there, as witnesses, yes Maria, I do love you, very much." I was so glad to get that off my chest. Then, Maria kissed me right on the lips. I was going to wait until we got home, but okay. I put my arms around her and brought her closer to deepen the kiss. I should have done this sooner. Eventually we broke apart and Maria started talking.

"I love you too Shady. That was very sweet of you."

"I just hope you know we have to wait a little bit before we get serious." She is only 16, as I've stated many times.

"I know, but it'll be worth it, for you."

"My sentiments exactly." After that Maria decided to try and sing. I wasn't paying attention to what she sang, but it sounded beautiful. Then after awhile we went home and I stopped before I unlocked the door. I reached up and kissed her like I had planned on. "I'm sorry again Maria, I should have known earlier." I said afterwards.

"No, it's kinda my fault. I shouldn't have asked."

"But if you didn't, I wouldn't have realized how I felt."

"I guess."

"So, do you mind if we sleep in the same bed now?" I asked with a grin.

"It's all I've wanted since the beginning."

**A/N- So to recap, Shadow and Maria are now officially a couple, I'm taking a break until I get a new computer, and you guys are awesome people who read this story. But think on the bright side, since my computer is jacked up I'll have more time to write. See you sometime later.**


	11. Plans for the Future

**A/N- Hey, I'm back. Here's the chapter. Enjoy.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 11

**Maria POV**

When I woke up the next morning Shadow wasn't in bed with me. Oh, don't tell me last night was a dream. I shot out of bed and into the living room. He wasn't there.

"Shadow?!" I called out. I was worried because he would have left a note if he had left. I went to the kitchen, nothing. Then I heard the door opening. I panicked and hid behind the couch. I heard footsteps coming closer to me. Without thinking I grabbed a lamp and threw it at whoever it was.

"What the hell? Who's there, show yourself!" Oops. I slowly stood up from behind the couch with a sheepish look on my face.

"Sorry Shadow, I thought you were breaking into the house." I didn't mention the part about forgetting to use my self-defense training since I was tired.

"Well, you've got a good arm, I'll say that much. I think there's still a piece in my spines." He tried to get it out but he grimaced in pain and stopped. "It's in my skin."

"Let me get it." I said looking for the piece. "Okay, I found it. I'll put in out on three." Which meant two so it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Maria, wait! Aaah-mhph!" I pulled it out and kissed him to take his mind off the pain. "Look who's getting bold now that she's in love." Shadow said still wincing some.

"What can I say, I'm a girl who knows what she wants. Now let's see what I can do about that cut." I parted his spines where I pulled out the piece of the lamp and put my hand on it. My body tingled and a second later it was healed.

"Thank you. Now let this be a lesson to not throw lamps at your boyfriend." Shadow joked. But he did say boyfriend which made me happy.

"Whatever. What were you doing out there anyway?" I asked getting out a broom to clean up the mess I made.

"I was getting the mail. I tried to stay in bed as long as I could, but I got restless."

"It's fine, I still enjoyed it. Did we get anything interesting?"

"Let's see, junk, junk, scam. And something with the royal seal on it."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It says that I got the part-time bodyguard job and that my first job is Thursday night." By that time I was done cleaning up sp I walked up and gave him a hug.

"That's great! Who do you get to protect?"

"It doesn't say. Hm, what's this?" Shadow said as he pulled out another paper from the envelope. "It's an invitation to the Royal Ball. 'The holder is entitled to bring one other person if they wish.' it says."

"I wonder who you're going to take." I said smiling.

"Definitely Scourge." He joked back. "But seriously, it sounds like a great first date."

"First date? Today's only Tuesday."

"Okay, maybe second, who knows?"

"That's more like it. What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry." He said. Then he must have seen something because he took my right hand in his. "Maria, your finger is bleeding."

"Oh, it is. Must not have noticed it." I put my other hand on it to try and heal myself, but it didn't work. "Hm, that's strange. Guess I can't heal myself."

"Let me see it." Shadow said. So I let him take my hand again. "It's not that deep, but just in case-" And with that he kissed my finger. I giggled because it was funny, and then the phone rang and Shadow answered it. But when I looked back at my finger, it was healed.

**Shadow POV**

I was worried about this. If Maria can't heal herself and she's around me when something dangerous happens… I don't want to think about it. Even if nothing happens, how long do we have, 60 to 70 years? These were the thoughts that raced through my head as Maria and I traveled to Silver and Blaze's house. They were the ones who called, Silver said they had something important to discuss with me. I asked if Maria could come and they said yes. We had a reason to go too. Maria had also gotten an invitation to the Ball and since we wouldn't be needing it we thought they could come too. When we got there I was so distracted by my thoughts that I almost passed their house.

"Uh Shadow, are you going to slow down?" Maria asked from behind. I let off the accelerator and turned into the grass near the house since there wasn't a driveway. I put the kickstand down and we got off the bike and Maria put her helmet on the seat.

"Let's hope they have clothes on this time." I said before I knocked on the door. I had told Maria about the time I barged into their room while they were being intimate. She thought it was funny.

"I guess you're ditching the whole 'silent and mysterious' thing. I heard that motorcycle from miles away." Silver said after opening the door.

"Nah, I was just trying to warn you I was here this time." I jabbed back.

"Then that was very thoughtful. And how are you doing on this fine day Maria?" By this time we had moved into the living room.

"Well, other than the fact that I hit Shadow over the head with a lamp and cut my finger, I'm doing fine." Maria replied.

"And I thought our fights were bad." Silver said chuckling.

"You and Blaze fight?" Maria asked.

"Every couple fights about something." Blaze said walking in with some food. "But as long as you resolve the problem cooly and calmly things will be alright."

"Not to mention what comes after a fight." Silver whispered into my ear. Too much information man.

"So, you said you needed to discuss something with me?" I asked sitting down.

"Yes, and it's very important. All of our lives hang in the balance along with countless others." Blaze said.

"I've been thinking about the changes to the timeline we've made and we kinda screwed it up. Not to the point that we can't fix it, but we're going to need your help Shadow since you'll be alive in the future when we're born." Silver explained.

"But didn't Blaze say that Mephiles killed me?" I asked.

"Yeah, but we told you what happened. You'd have to be stupid to do the same thing again." Silver said. Then Maria spoke up.

"Excuse me, but I don't understand. How is Shadow going to live that long?"

"Well, you see Maria, I'm kind of immortal because of how the professor created me." I said. "Something major would have to happen for me to die."

"Yeah, so this is what we were thinking," Silver started again, "when Eggman tries the plan with the purple Chaos Emerald, you do not try to go super."

"And how do I defeat Eggman?"

"Well, you have about 100 years to think about that. Now here comes the hard part. You have to convince me and Blaze to go to the past and lie about the future so we end up here."

"And you have to release Mephiles as well." Blaze added.

"Is that all? That's nothing compared to other things I've done. All I need is a picture." I said.

"That might actually work. I'll go get a camera." Silver said going to go look for one.

"I have another question." Maria said while we waited. "What about me? I wasn't in the timeline before. Doesn't that mean I would mess things up?"

"You would think so, but no." Blaze answered. "In the big picture it doesn't really matter. You're just going to affect our lives a little. For example, Shadow is happy in this timeline compared to what he was like before."

"Good, I was worried for a second." Maria said relieved. Then Silver came back with the camera.

"Okay, I had to find some batteries, but now we're good." He handed the camera to Maria.

"Why do I have to take the picture?"

"Because we need to make sure we don't tell Past Shadow what he did. In fact, Blaze we should take off our rings so we don't freak our future selves out."

"Good thinking." Blaze said doing just that. Then I stood between the two of them.

"Shadow, you should make it look more like you're friends." Maria suggested. "Put your arms on their shoulders and smile." I did what she said. "Now say 'cheese' everyone."

"Mozzarella!"

"Bleu!"

"Cheddar!" Then there was a flash of light.

"How did it come out?" Blaze asked.

"Pretty good actually. It doesn't look forced at all. Though you should make multiple copies."

"Yeah, the world depends on it."

**A/N- Some of the stuff in this chapter probably won't come back into play until later in the story, but it is important. Updates will go back to normal now as well.**


	12. Immortalilty Can Suck

**A/N- Nothing to say today.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 12

**Maria POV**

"So, what do you think?" Shadow asked as he moved his hands away from my eyes. In front of me was a huge ice skating rink.

"Well, I think I know why you told me to dress warm." I joked. "But seriously, this is cool. Literally."

"I guess this means I'm not a totally horrible date planner." Shadow said grinning.

"You're funny, you know that?"

"I try my best, especially for you."

"Aw, aren't I special." I said giggling. "Have you ever done this before?"

"Not with skates, but it can't be much different than using my rocket boots. And I would have taken you to a real frozen pond but it's not really safe around here to do that since it's close to the end of winter."

"Maybe next year." I said as we got our skates. We sat down and started to put them on when I noticed something. "Shadow, aren't those rings on your wrists and ankles going to make you cold?" I asked.

"Maybe a little, but I can't really take them off unless it's a world ending emergency." He was serious when he said that.

"Why is that?"

"Well it's complicated but the short version is that they help block out some of the Chaos Energy that my body gets from the Chaos Force. If I were to take them off I would get exponentially stronger, but if I have them off for too long the energy would overwhelm me."

"Okay, that's a pretty good reason. And that was the short version?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know right?" And about that time was when we got out onto the ice. There were a decent amount of people out with us so we decided to go with the flow and skate in a circle with them. Oh, and Shadow was wrong about it being like his rocket boots because he was falling as much as I was. We got better though and then we had tons of fun twirling, racing, and even the falling was fun. One point did stand out though. Shadow had decided to take a break a few minutes back and I was skating by myself. Then I felt two arms around my waist.

"You better be my boyfriend, or else I'm going to have beat you up." I said half joking half serious.

"Well I'm glad you're willing to stand up for yourself, but I think I've had enough lamps to the head for a while." Shadow said. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"Sure, I trust you." And with that he picked me up and lifted me above his head. I spread my arms out to balance us and we did a lap like that. A few people even clapped. And then he put me down, which should have been easy, but our legs tangled and we felt down yet again with Shadow on top of me. I felt my face warm up since he was so close.

"That was really fun." I finally got out.

"So is doing this." Shadow said moving in to kiss me. He would have too if someone hadn't interrupted him.

"I told you they were going to get together." Rouge said knowingly.

"Okay, okay, you were right." Knuckles added.

"Thanks guys, it's not like a ruin your romantic moments." Shadow said helping me up.

"Tell that to Silver and Blaze." Knuckles joked. Shadow just glared at him.

"Come on hon, let's leave the two lovebirds alone." Rouge said pushing him away. "I'm glad you're happy now Shadow." She added chasing after him.

"Your friends are different, I can say that for a fact." I said afterwards.

"Yeah, but they're okay." Then he reached over and kissed me. "And you're the best."

**Shadow POV**

"You are really lucky Shadow." Maria said a she looked around in her chair.

"How is that?"

"Well, you're going to get to go places like this all the time when you're doing your bodyguard work." We were at the restaurant that I was going to be guarding someone at. Since I had to scope the place out, I thought I would take Maria there for dinner.

"Yeah, but if it's places like this I can just keep taking you on dates like this." I said.

"I guess you're right."

"So, is that the dress you're going to wear to the Ball?" She was wearing a light blue spaghetti strap dress with something I don't know the name of to cover her shoulders. She also had on some light blue heels.

"Yeah, Amy helped me pick it out. Do you like it?"

"You look amazing in it, that is really your color. And it's modest unlike most things girls wear."

"If they wear clothes at all."

"Yeah, I don't know why but those girls just unnerve me."

"Coming from the guy who only wears clothes on special occasions." Maria joked.

"Do you want me to wear more clothes?"

"You can wear whatever you want, I was just joking."

"That's what I thought." After that our food came and we ate. It wasn't much, but it was perfect for my metabolism. Then, from out of the blue, Maria asked me something.

"Shadow, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How are you going to act when I die again?" I almost spit out my water when she asked that.

"What?" I choked out.

"Well, yesterday with Silver and Blaze you said you're immortal. I'm obviously not, so what happens when I die?" I didn't know she was worried about this too.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. I'm hoping by that time someone finds a way to extend people's lives, but I don't know if that will happen. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can. I can deal with your death later, I did before."

"I don't know what to say to that." Maria said after my answer.

"Let's just not worry about it right now. I love you and you love me and that's all that matters right now." I said taking her hands in mine and looking into her eyes. "Okay?" She took a deep breath.

"Okay. I'm sorry if I'm making you upset."

"Nothing you could do could make me seriously mad at you, you're too nice to do anything like that."

"We're kinda a weird couple aren't we?"

"Have you looked at our friends?" That got her to laugh, my day was complete.

**A/N- Still nothing.**


	13. What a Day

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 13

**Maria POV**

You know, I had gotten used to waking up to Shadow's little notes for me, but this morning's was different. It was more special than the other ones.

_Maria,_

_ I'm off to work and I don't know when exactly I'll get back home since it's an all day shift. If I don't see you today I just want to say you're beautiful and that I love you. Oh, and I hope you don't mind but I gave you a kiss when I left. Have a great day._

_Love,_

_Shadow_

I felt a huge smile creep onto my face as I read the note. I have a hard time imagining Shadow ever acting sad and angry like his friends said he did because of things like this. Though it did get me to thinking about what I was going to do today. I got out of bed and look my pajamas off. I looked over to the mirror and looked myself over. I've gotten used to my body looking like a hedgehog, but some things are still kinda weird. I know it's because I got older but my body is more curvy than it used to be. And my tail, it still unconsciously wags sometimes when I kiss Shadow. Not to mention the fact that I've had to buy some bras since my breasts had gotten bigger as well. That makes me wonder, when Shadow says I'm beautiful does he mean cute beautiful or sexy beautiful. I'm sure he would tell me if I asked him. My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing in the living room. I quickly put some clothes on and answered it.

"Shadow and Maria's house, Maria speaking." I know it might have been presumptuous, but it feels like it's our house.

"Oh, hello Maria, how are you?"

"I'm doing good Cream, what about you?"

"I'm okay, but I have a problem. Amy's busy dealing with Manic so I thought you could help me."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Can you come over to my house please?"

"Okay, do you mind if I eat breakfast first?"

"If you come over now you can have some of my mother's pancakes. They're really good." I could hear the pleading in her voice so I agreed to go. I took Shadow's directions and headed out. I found the house and knocked on the door. As I was waiting for someone to answer I looked around. The house looked very cozy and it had many flowers all around. The door opened and I turned to face a tall rabbit woman.

"You must be Maria," the lady started, "it's so nice to finally meet you. As you may have guessed already I'm Cream's mother Vanilla."

"It's nice to meet you too. And might I say you have a very nice looking house."

"Thank you dear. Now won't you come inside, I just finished making breakfast."

"Okay." I said following her in. I went to the kitchen and sat down next to Cream. "Where's Cheese?" I asked.

"He's sick so I let him sleep some more." She answered.

"I hope he feels better soon. So what did you want to talk about?"

"Can we wait until after we eat?" I agreed and we ate. And it was as good as advertised. Plus the maple syrup was awesome.

"That may be the best breakfast I've ever had Mrs. Vanilla!" I said excitedly.

"That's very sweet of you to say Maria, thank you. Oh, and it's Miss Vanilla at this point of my life."

"Not for long." Cream whispered into my ear. Someone likes Vanilla? Not that anyone shouldn't, I just can't imagine who it is. Anyway, after that, Cream and I sat down on the couch in the living room.

"So, what's up?" I asked hoping she would answer me finally.

"How did you get Mr. Shadow to like you?" If I had a drink I would have spit it out. Good thing I'd learned my lesson with Blaze.

"Why would you want to know that?" I finally got out.

"Well, I need some relationship advice. I like someone but I don't know how to tell him." Okay, now her question made sense.

"Would I happen to know this guy?" I asked. If I knew him I might be able to help out more.

"It's Tails, I have a crush on Tails." She answered.

"Well then you have nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"Tails is a really nice guy, he wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Plus I saw those flowers he gave you the other day. He likes you, a lot."

"So what do I do?"

"Well, you need to tell him. You could invite him to do something fun and tell him then. If he says he likes you back you're golden. But he might be too shy to say so, so if he doesn't, give him time."

"Is that how it worked out with Shadow?"

"More or less. For me it involved way more time travel and body changing though." I joked. Cream giggled and I knew it would go well.

"Thank you Maria, you're a good friend."

**Shadow POV**

I got home at about ten at night and boy did I have a story to tell Maria. I unlocked the door and saw Maria sitting on the couch talking on the phone.

"Oh, that's horrible. I knew there was something off about him. Aw, that's so cool! Well, I have to go, Shadow just got home from work. See you tomorrow." And with that she hung up.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"It was Amy. She called saying that Sonic beat up Scourge."

"Why would he do that?" And why couldn't I be there?

"Supposedly he almost violated his sister. And he threw a big party at his house without his permission."

"I knew that guy was bad news. Did Sonic get him to jail at least?"

"No, she said he Chaos Controlled away. But on the happier side, Manic asked Sonic and Amy to join the band for a month and they said yes."

"Hm, we might have to go see that." I mused.

"Maybe, but enough about them, how was your day?" I was sitting on the couch at that point.

"Oh, it sure was interesting. You want to know who I had to protect? The teenage princess."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Maria said.

"Oh yeah? What do you call being hit on all night? I think she's lonely, but I already have you. Though she did lighten up when I mentioned you. And then we ran into Sonic and Amy and it got weird because she likes him too. And then… Maria, what are you doing?" She was rubbing my neck and back area for some reason.

"I'm trying to calm you down since you're tense." She answered.

"It's working, thank you. Oh, that feels so good." Maria giggled when I said that and continued massaging me in silence. After awhile she spoke up again.

"Shadow, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When you say I'm beautiful do you mean cute beautiful or sexy beautiful?" Well, that's an easy question to answer. I turned around to face her.

"Actually it's neither. When I say you're beautiful I mean on the inside. You're so sweet and kind, and that's very attractive to me." Her face got so red it looked like Knuckles' spines.

"Aw, Shady." Was all she could get out. Then I moved my mouth to one of her ears.

"But I would be lying if I said I didn't find you extremely sexy as well." I whispered softly. And with that I moved my mouth to hers and kissed her very passionately. Then she pushed me down onto my back and started kissing me back. I wrapped my arms around her to bring her closer to me. I could feel her tongue trying to get into my mouth and I let her. My hands slipped under her shirt, but that was as far as I was going to go. After about ten minutes we slowed down and started talking.

"I love you Maria, so much sometimes I can't believe this is real. You make me so happy and it's been a long time since I've truly been happy."

"I love you too Shadow, and not just because you saved my life. You are my best friend, you know to make me laugh, you know how to perk me up when I'm sad, and you make me feel really special."

"That's because you are, there's only one of you, and I'm lucky enough to have you in my life." Then there was some comfortable silence until Maria spoke again.

"So, you want to move this to the bedroom?" She asked.

"If you mean sleeping, than yes."

"Of course, what did you think I meant?" She said dismissively. But I heard a hint of disappointment. I have a bad feeling this is going to be the 'I love you.' thing all over again.


	14. Maria's Surprise For Shadow

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 14

**Shadow POV**

"Maria, are you almost done? We're going to be late if you don't hurry up." I said through the door to our room. I was already dressed and ready to go to the Ball.

"I'll be done in five minutes okay? And how can we be late?"

"I forgot to tell you, they want all the bodyguards to be there early just in case."

"Well, I'll go as fast as I can."

"Thank you. Do you want me to get your helmet?" We were going to take my motorcycle there for some extra fun even though Sonic offered us spaces in his sibling's tour bus.

"No, I think I'll be fine. And you do know me talking to you is slowing me down right?" I got the point and walked to the living room. I sat down on the couch and saw that the news was on. To no surprise it was about the Ball. I watched it until I heard the door open down the hall. I stood up and faced in the direction Maria would come.

"Are you sure you don't want to wear your helmet?" I know that she's probably more durable than the average Mobian, but she's my girlfriend, I have to worry about her well being.

"Not tonight, I'm still having a bit of trouble styling my spines since they're less flexible than hair and I don't want the helmet to mess them up." Maria answered fiddling with her earrings while walking up to me.

"What about the wind?"

"That's why I styled them in a windblown fashion." She answered doing a small twirl. I am one lucky hedgehog.

"Well I think you look beautiful." I said looking her over. I just want to pin her to the wall and… NO! Shut those thoughts down. What Maria did next didn't help me snap out of it.

"Thanks Shady." She said giving me a peck on the cheek. "You don't look half bad yourself." But that sentence did, because I had legitimate concerns about my clothes.

"Yeah, but this suit really restricts my movement. What if something happens?" I was thinking something along the lines of Scourge because, wherever he is, he has an invitation.

"I think you'll be fine." Maria assured me. "Besides, all our friends will be there to help." Which makes me wonder, when did I start thinking of Sonic and them as friends? I didn't have time to think about it though.

"I guess you're right. Let's get going." Maria nodded in agreement and we headed out to the garage. Being careful not to rip or get our clothes dirty, we got on my bike and we were off. There were a lot of slow drivers on the road so when I got the chance I sped up and passed them. That also gave me the added bonus of Maria hugging me closer. It's a good thing too, it's cold out tonight. Anyway, when we got there we saw Silver and Blaze having trouble getting in. I got off the bike and walked towards them.

"Is there a problem?" I asked the guard who I hadn't gotten the chance to meet yet.

"Yeah, these two have an invitation but they aren't on the list." I did not know about the list, so that's my bad.

"I gave them my invitation." I explained. "Check for the name Shadow." It took a second for him to respond.

"Okay, his story checks, you two can go on in." After that Silver turned to me and started fiddling with his bow tie. He looked really nervous for some reason.

"Thanks man, you saved our hides." He said thanking me.

"No problem." I said putting my hand on his shoulder to calm him. I hope he's okay, truly. But I have my own problems at the moment with the guard asking questions.

"So, if they have your invitation, how are you getting in?" Good thing Maria was on the ball and handed him our other invitation.

"Here you go." She said politely.

"Name please."

"Maria." The guard scanned his list.

"Can you give a last name? I have 3 Marias on this list." Really, why have I never heard of them? I mean I did work for the government at one point. Anyway, Maria was looking at me for an answer to her silent pleas for help.

"It's okay Maria." I assured her, meaning I was okay with whatever she decided to do.

"My last name is Robotnik." She said calmly.

"Ah, here we are, Maria Robotnik. And I take it Shadow is your guest?"

"Yes." Maria answered more confidently.

"Hey, weird question, but are you by any chance related to Dr. Eggman?" What kind of guard asks that question? I mentally prepared to fight if the situation went sour.

"Yeah, he's my cousin. Really takes the definition of black sheep to the extreme." Maria responded quickly. Okay, this is the moment of truth. What is this guy going to do?

"Well, you know what they say, you can choose your friends but not your family. You two have a great night."

"Thanks." I said rushing us both inside. When we were out of the guard's earshot I turned Maria to face me. "That was a very brave thing you did back there and I'm proud of you. Not everyone has an evil genius in their family." She smiled at me so brightly after I said that.

"That's why I love you, you always support me and always know what to say to make me feel better."

"Hey, I'm not the greatest, but I try my best."

"I know." Maria said taking my hand and leading me farther inside. Sonic waved us over to a table where the rest of our friends were and we sat down. Most of the time we were there was spent talking, to our friends and to some new faces. And it looked like Scourge was smart enough to not show up. Although one incident was worth mentioning. I was dancing with Maria and I saw some drunk looking guy crowding the princess. I decided to do something.

"I'll be right back." I said to Maria, giving her a peck on the cheek. I walked over to where the problem was and asked, "Is this guy bothering you Miss Acorn?"

"Hey buddy I was just-" The guy started talking while turning to face me. He stopped when he saw my face. "You're, you're-"

"Yes I am. Now scram before I do something you'll regret." I said, steel in my voice. He couldn't run fast enough for how freaked out he was.

"Looks like your reputation precedes you." The princess said somewhat snidely. "I didn't need help with him."

"Believe me, yeah you did. Why didn't you just walk away?"

"Bored I guess." More like lonely I would say. That gave me an idea, and it would mess with Sonic some.

"Then why don't you go talk to the drummer in the band, they just took a break. He's a pretty nice guy from what I know of him."

"Uh, I don't know." She said hesitantly.

"He's Sonic's brother."

"Well, maybe I can go say hi." Oh, Sonic is going to flip if he found out I set his brother up with Princess Sally. But it was too funny a chance to pass up.

**Maria POV**

The Ball was amazing, even though I didn't know how to dance very well. It's a good thing Shadow's shoes are made of metal. Anyway, we got home at 11 and that's when things got interesting.

"Do you want to change in the bathroom or the bedroom?" Shadow asked me.

"The bedroom if you don't mind." I said so I could do something.

"Okay, I'll take the bathroom then. After I hang my clothes up in the closet I'll come in. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, and I'll have a surprise for you when you do." I tried to say seductively. Shadow's face was a mix of amusement and confusion. I took that as a good sign and slipped into the bedroom. As quickly as I could, without wrinkling any of them, I took off all my clothes. And I mean all of them. Then I laid down on the bed on my chest, so nothing would be showing, and waited for Shadow to come in. A few minutes later he knocked on the door.

"Is is okay for me to come in?"

"Come right on in." I said. The door opened and Shadow slowly walked in. His eyes moved to me and grew so large. And then he covered them with his hands.

"Maria, what the hell?! You said it was okay for me to come in."

"I was trying to surprise you! Don't you like it?"

"You're naked! For other girls that would be normal, but you wear clothes!"

"So?"

"So you're trying to get me to have sex with you when I don't want to!" Well, he's smart, I'll give him that.

"Why not?"

"Because you are 16! It just feels weird to me. Can you cover yourself up so I can look at you?"

"Fine." I said using the top blanket to do so. Shadow sat down next to me on the bed after that. He was calmer when he spoke next.

"Why are you trying to do this?" He asked me.

"Because, I want to keep our relationship exciting."

"Maria, our relationship is exciting. We're living together, we sleep in the same bed, and I learn something new about you every day. I'm totally okay with where we are at this point in time."

"But you can't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your mind at least once."

"Oh, believe me it has. It's just like I said, I would be uncomfortable with it." After that was some silence until I thought of something.

"Well, when would you be comfortable with it?" I asked. Shadow took a second to think about it.

"Your birthday is March 3rd right?" I nodded, happy he remembered after so long. "Okay, I have a really nice surprise for your birthday. I'm not telling you what it is yet, but it involves travel. I promise to think about it when we get back, okay?" I wonder where we're going.

"That's okay I guess." It's better than nothing.

"I still love you Maria." He said giving me a hug and a short kiss on the lips. "Now I'll leave so you can get dressed for bed and we can sleep."

"Shadow?" I asked as he reached the door.

"Yeah?"

"I still love you too."


	15. A Message From the Past

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 15

**Maria POV**

So for the next week nothing horribly exciting happened. I didn't try to trick Shadow into doing anything and I was fine with that. Although, when we did get the chance to make out and stuff I realized that he was willing to go farther and farther each time. It was like he was mentally preparing himself which I guess is a good step forward. Anyway, something happened a few days before my birthday. I was doing some preparations for the flower garden I wanted to plant this spring when I saw one of those chao things flying around. Then suddenly it fell out of the sky. I ran over to it and saw that it was unconscious. I picked it up and hurried into the house.

"Maria, what's going on?" Shadow asked confused as I burst through the door. I showed him the chao.

"This little guy was flying around outside and then he collapsed in the yard. I was hoping you could see if it's okay." On closer inspection this chao looked much different than most others that I had seen. For starters it was a deep moss green and had what looked like a halo instead of a dot floating above its head. And the black parts of its eyes were huge.

"Okay, let me see him." Shadow said taking it. "My best bet would be that it's exhausted. And I think it's lost too."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Well, it has a name tag for one thing." I totally missed that. I looked at it and it said the chao's name was Bruno. "And considering it collapsed it must be far from home. Most chao have very good stamina."

"So what should we do? We just can't leave him like this."

"You should go to the Missing Chao Home. They should know who he belongs to."

"What about you, aren't you going to come with me?"

"I have to go to work, but you should be fine. You remember how to get to Westopolis?"

"Yeah, is that where the Home is?"

"Yep, so make sure you take the motorcycle."

"Are you sure? I haven't driven that far before with it."

"I have the utmost confidence in you." Shadow said giving me a peck on the cheek. "Here's some gas money just in case. I should be home around nine. I love you and I'll see you then."

"I love you too, have fun if you can." I said as he walked towards the door. He turned around and winked and then he left. Then I turned back to the sleeping chao. I wondered if I could use my powers on it so I hovered my hand over it and concentrated. The chao shook its head and started hovering in front of my face.

"Chao?" It asked. It had a much deeper voice than other chao.

"Don't worry, I'm friendly. We're going to get you back home lickety split." I answered cheerfully. The chao smiled like it was okay with me.

"Chao." It said pointing to its mouth.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. It nodded so I headed to the kitchen. "Now what do chao eat?" I mumbled to myself. I offered it things like pizza, salad, cheese, and some chocolate but it didn't want any of that. "Well, all I have left is this bowl of fruit." I said after a while.

"Chao! Chao!" The chao said excitedly while flying towards the bowl. I swear all the fruit was gone in under a minute.

"Boy, you sure are a big eater aren't you? While you digest that I'll go get my helmet and you'll be home soon." I said petting him. And for some reason it's halo turned into a heart.

**Shadow POV**

You know, sometimes I miss the action of being a G.U.N. agent. But then I think of Maria and how she makes me feel inside and it passes. Besides, something is bound to happen eventually be it Eggman or something else. Anyway, the reason I brought that up was that today was a boring day at work. I had to go to the movie theater and see a movie I had already seen three times while having to continuously look around everywhere in an almost empty theater for threats. Add in the fact that Maria wasn't there and you catch my drift. But I did get off early, so there was that. Though my problems didn't stop there. When I opened the door to the house I saw Maria crying on the couch with the chao she found earlier trying to console her by petting her head. I quickly ran over and embraced her in a hug and she buried her face into my shoulder.

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay Maria. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" I asked rubbing her back.

"Well, I went to the Missing Chao Home like you said I should but they said they didn't have any room left. They told me who it's owner was though, and his name was Gerald. That made me think of my grandfather and, and..." She couldn't finish her sentence and started crying into my shoulder again.

"Shh, it's okay. I think about him sometimes too." I said holding her closer. "He was a good man who got into some bad circumstances. But I know this, he loved you very much. I'm pretty much the physical representation of that."

"I just wish I could see him one last time, you know?"

"I know." I said. Then the doorbell rang. "I'll be right back okay?" Maria nodded and I walked to the door and answered it. It was Bokkun. "I'm not working for Eggman anymore, why are you here?" I asked irritated.

"Obviously I'm here to deliver you something. And it's really good if you ask me." Damn his voice is annoying.

"If it's an exploding TV I don't want it."

"Oh, it's nothing like that. It's a DVD."

"Is it going to blow up?"

"N-No, why would it?" He asked uncertainly.

"Because all your 'gifts' blow up!"

"I promise the DVD won't blow up. Now take it." I did hesitantly. "And tell Maria I said hi."

"Why you little-" He flew away before I could do anything do him. I went back inside and Maria hand calmed down some.

"Who was that?" She asked with a slight sob.

"An annoyance, but he did have something for us to watch." I said putting the DVD in our player. I can't believe what I saw. It was the professor. He was sitting down and he looked concerned.

"Grandfather?" Maria whispered as I sat down next to her. I wrapped my arms around her again just in case.

_Video diary, June 18th 1951. Shadow, I hope you eventually find this video someday. Something bad is going to happen tomorrow and I need to tell you some things that you won't be able to find anywhere else. It's about Maria. I need you to take care of her when I'm gone. You are the only one who I trust to do so. And I know this would be sometime in the future, but if you two were to fall in love I would be okay with that. I hear someone coming I better turn this off._

"Did you know about this?" Maria asked me shocked.

"Not a clue." I said equally shocked.

"Well, I sorta got what I wished for."

"Come here." I said giving her a huge hug. "You see, I was right, he did love you. He even kinda predicted we'd fall in love."

"Yeah, how about that." Maria said. Then she yawned. "I should go to bed."

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit." I didn't want to tell Maria, but the professor was giving hidden hand signals during that clip and I wanted to investigate further. After Maria left I inspected the disk and saw it was two sided. I flipped it over and put it back in.

_Good job Shadow, you saw my hand signals. I have one more thing to say. You being in love with Maria could be the key for curing her NIDS and even more. Do whatever you can to make that happen, not only for me but for her as well. _

Well, her NIDS are no longer an issue. But it could do more? And what exactly did he mean by me being in love with Maria could help her? And as I was thinking all this the DVD player blew up. I should have known.

**A/N- Don't ask how Bokkun got the DVD, because I have no idea myself. Enjoy your day.**


	16. The Accident

**A/N- So, I crossed another weirdness milestone yesterday. I am now 20 years old and still doing Fanfiction. I wonder if I'll still be doing this at 21. Probably.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 16

Maria POV

The one thing I really love about living on Mobius is being able to take a hot shower whenever I want to. You see, up on the ARK we really couldn't waste much water being up in space in all, so we could only take short baths or showers every once in awhile. And the water heater was always broken so the water was cold. Sometimes I even had to share one with Shadow, something I would like to do again but for a completely different reason. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I was singing one of Sonic's band's songs in said shower when I heard a chuckle.

"So, I see you like them too?" Shadow asked. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"What can I say, the songs are catchy and I like the lyrics. Now what are you doing in here?"

"Well, I was thinking about taking a shower, but you're in there."

"You could come in with me." I said cajolingly.

"Maria." He said back with a 'you know the deal' tone.

"I was just kidding, kind of."

"I know, but I guess it's good to know what you're up for later. Remember when we used to take baths together on the ARK?"

"I was just thinking about that."

"Really, that's kinda funny. I really hated that cold water. Anyway, I got called into work, something happened on Prison Island and they want us to be informed. I don't know how long it'll take so don't wait up for me for anything."

"Okay, see you later then."

"I'll leave you the motorcycle in case you want to go somewhere later. I love you. I know I say it every day, but it bears repeating." Shadow said before putting his hand to his mouth and placing it on the glass between us.

"I don't mind you saying it that many times because I love you that much too." I said placing my own hand on the glass. "Now get going, you're going to be late." I could see him smile through the distortion of the glass as he backed out of the bathroom. I stayed in the shower for a few more minutes to make sure I got most of the dirt and stuff out of my spines. Yet another new thing I've had to adapt to is that because it's pretty much like having hair all over your body. I wonder what it'll be like in the summer when it's warm. Anyway, when I got done in the shower I realized I had forgotten to get a clean towel to dry myself. But as soon as I stepped out of the shower I saw Bruno hovering in front of me holding a towel.

"Chao." He said handing it to me.

"How did you know I needed that? Your owner must be a good person because you are so well mannered. You want some fruit to eat?"

"Chao! Chao!" He said excitedly. So after I dried off, combed my spines down, and got dressed we went to the kitchen to eat. I gave Bruno some grapes while I made myself a sandwich. I wasn't even two bites in before the phone rang.

"I wonder who that could be." I said to Bruno as he continued to munch on his grapes. I walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Um, hi. Is this the residence of Maria Robotnik?" Asked a youngish male voice.

"Why yes it is. Uh, do I know you?"

"Not really, but you do have my chao." Oh, so that's who it is. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, totally. He's sitting on my table eating grapes as we speak."

"Whew, that's a relief. Is there any way you can come to my house and give him back today?"

"Sure. Where do you live?" I was told yesterday but I was too emotional to remember.

"553 West 4th Street in Station Square."

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. But I'm warning you, I'm friends with some powerful people and I'm no slouch myself. Do anything funny and you're probably toast."

"Fair enough. See you later I guess." And with that he hung up.

"Guess what little guy? You're going home for real today." I said to the chao. He started flying around happily. After he calmed down we got on Shadow's bike and drove into town. The address wasn't hard to find and in no time we were there. "Is this your house?" I asked Bruno making sure.

"Chao." He answered nodding. So I knocked on the door. It opened to reveal an orange cat boy who looked about my age.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Are you," I paused to calm myself, "Gerald?"

"Why yes I am. Are you Maria?"

"Uh-huh."

"Chao!" Bruno said flying towards the cat. He hovered by his face and then they fist bumped.

"I'm just making sure, but this is your chao right?" I asked.

"Yes it is, thanks for taking such good care of him."

"Oh, it was easy. He's a very good chao."

"Yeah, he is. Hey, I know we just met and all, but would you like to go to lunch with me sometime?" He seems like a nice enough guy, but he's not Shadow.

"Sorry, I have a boyfriend. His name is Shadow." The guy's eyes grew wide at my statement.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Shadow the Hedgehog would you?"

"Yeah I am actually."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you knew some powerful people. Well thanks again. I'm just so glad I got him back before my family's vacation."

"Where are you going?" The least I could do is be nice.

"We're going to Mystic Ruins. We have tickets to the Crush 40 concert there." I inwardly chuckled at that.

"Well, you have fun. Maybe you'll meet someone whose available there."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

**Shadow POV**

Well, what an interesting turn of events. Turns out Eggman's body has gone brain dead but there is activity coming from one of his bases. And the thing is, I think I know what's happening. Silver and Blaze once told me that Eggman had been transferring his mind into robots sometime in the future. This could be the beginning of that. And he had to do this when Sonic is away. Not that I can't handle him, it's just Sonic enjoys it more than I do. Anyway, I got home ready to tell Maria but she wasn't there. The chao wasn't there either. Maybe the owner called? Well, I trust her to be home at a reasonable time. I hung my uniform up and when I finished the phone rang.

"Hello." I said hoping it was Maria.

"Yes, is this Shadow the Hedgehog who I'm speaking too?" Asked a middle aged male voice.

"It is. May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"I'm Dr. Woodcomb at Station Square Medical. You might remember me from a few weeks ago. I'm calling to say that your friend Maria is here since you are her emergency contact."

"W-What happened?" Oh, God not again.

"Calm down son, she's fine. She was in a car accident but all she got was a broken arm. It's a good thing she had a helmet on."

"I'll be there right away." I said not waiting for a response. I ran as fast as I could to the hospital. I found Maria's room and slowly walked in. She was sleeping so I sat down next to the bed. Then the doctor came in.

"She's been in and out for a while now, but you're welcome to stay as long as you would like. Just be careful of the sling, we haven't been able to put a cast on her arm yet." I nodded and he left. I just sat there staring at Maria until she started to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and she spoke.

"Owww." She moaned.

"Maria." I said softly. She turned her head to face me.

"Shadow? What happend? Why am I at the hospital?"

"You were in an accident. You're okay, only a broken arm, but you're probably going to have to stay overnight so they can get you a cast."

"I'm sorry Shadow."

"Sorry for what? Things like my bike can be fixed. I'm just glad you are alive. Do you remember what happened?"

"Kinda. All I remember is being stopped at a light when something hit me from behind."

"Okay then. You drive me crazy, you know that?"

"I try." She said with a weak smile.

"You should try to sleep some more. I'll be right here when you wake up." I said. Then I reached over and kissed her on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too Shady."


	17. Miracle Cure

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 17

**Maria POV**

You know, I had a pretty good night's sleep last night. Must be because I'm so used to hospital beds. Anyway, I yawned and stretched both my arms above my head to wake up faster. Wait a second, isn't my right arm broken? As I looked at it quizzically I saw Shadow come into my room with a cup of coffee. A cup he immediately dropped.

"Maria?" He asked slowly.

"I don't know how, but you should probably get a doctor." Shadow nodded and left the room. The doctor was as surprised as he was. After a set of X-rays just in case we were back in my room talking with him.

"This has to be the most inexplicable thing I've ever seen." The doctor said still raving. "I wonder what did it. Did you do anything after I left?" He asked Shadow.

"Not that I know of. I just gave her a kiss goodnight before she fell asleep."

"On the mouth or somewhere else?" The doctor asked.

"Does it matter?" Shadow asked back.

"Well, if it was on the mouth some fluids could have been transferred between the two of you." The doctor explained.

"Then yes, the kiss was on the mouth." Shadow stated simply. The doctor just gave a smug 'I told you so' grin. "You were right, just drop it okay?" Shadow admitted.

"Fine. So, do you two mind if I take some blood samples to see if I can find anything out?" I looked at Shadow and he shrugged.

"It's up to you Maria." He said.

"Yeah, might as well see if you can find out what happened." And see if it was a fluke or not.

"Okay then. Is there anything I should know before I examine your blood?" The doctor asked pulling out a needle.

"Well, I used to be a human who had NIDS." I answered.

"And I'm part alien." Shadow added.

"Interesting. Well after I take the samples it should take an hour or two for the results to come in." We nodded and he took our blood and left leaving Shadow and I alone.

"Do you really think that kiss healed my broken arm?" I asked Shadow.

"Maybe. It would make sense with what the other side of that disk said."

"What are you talking about?" I asked sort of suspiciously.

"The DVD had another side and it had your grandfather telling me that us being in love could cure your NIDS and maybe some other things."

"And you were going to tell me this when?"

"When something weird like this happened." Shadow said. Then a thought hit me.

"Does this mean I could be..." I trailed off.

"We'll just have to wait and see on that. Did you ever feel funky any of the other times I kissed you?

"I just felt happy and full of energy, but I wrote that off as normal. Though when you kissed my finger that day I cut it, it healed."

"Okay. So we have an hour or so, what do you want to do?" Shadow asked. I got out of the bed and stood up.

"Well, I want to get dressed. But first.." I got up real close to Shadow and felt his body heat up. I placed my arms around his neck and brought his face close to mine. I placed a soft kiss on his lips at first but then I did it again more deeply. I let him stand up and he moved his hands to my lower back. Since I was wearing a hospital gown I felt the warm feeling immediately, making me want him even more. But since we were at a hospital I didn't think anything would happen. That and the fact that we heard someone whistling.

"Never thought you'd see this in a hospital, huh Blaze?" Said Silver's voice behind me.

"Nope, but it looks sweet to me." Blaze added.

"What are you guys doing here?" Shadow asked. "Besides standing there and being creepy that is." I chuckled slightly and turned to face the other two.

"You want to tell them or should I?" Silver asked Blaze.

"I'll tell them Silver." Then Blaze paused. "I'm pregnant and Silver is the father." I walked over to her and gave her a huge hug.

"That's great! You two are going to be wonderful parents." I said cheerfully.

"Thanks Maria, that means a lot. By the way, what are you guys doing here?" Blaze asked. I looked to Shadow and he nodded saying it was okay.

"I got run over by a car and broke my arm." I stated like it was nothing. I waited for the obvious response.

"Then where's your cast?" Silver asked.

"My arm healed itself somehow. We think it has something to do with Shadow kissing me. We're waiting for some blood tests to confirm it."

"You two sure are something. Well, I hope you get the answers you're looking for, but we have to go." Silver said. He walked over and shook Shadow's hand and then he and Blaze left with Blaze waving back at us.

"Man, Sonic is missing everything." Shadow said when they were gone.

"I think Amy would care more. By the way, you never told me what you went to work for yesterday."

"Well, you should get dressed first. It's a doozy."

**Shadow POV**

So Maria got dressed and I told her about her cousin.

"What?!" She asked raising her voice a bit. She was taking it better than I expected.

"I know. believe me it sounds weird to me too. But supposedly he was able to do it in the future. This might be the beginning."

"What are you going to do about it?" Maria asked with a hint of worry.

"There's nothing I really can do. Your cousin is really good at keeping his plans secret until he enacts them. I can't count the number of times G.U.N has had him 100% under observation and he still wreaked some sort of havoc. The best we can do is wait for his first move."

"We?" Maria asked.

"What, don't you want to save the world at least once?" I joked.

"Of course. I just thought it was nice you included me."

"I might be overprotective, but I'm not stupid. You'd be a great addition to our group. Plus, if Sonic and Amy are still gone when he attacks we're going to need you."

"It just feels weird. I mean he's my cousin and I still kinda care for him."

"I know." I said placing my hand on her shoulder. "But it's for the greater good. And it's our responsibility since we have the power to stop him."

"You better watch it, you're starting to sound like a hero." Maria joked.

"What can I say, you bring that side out of me. Besides, I need practice for when Sonic is dead."

"And with that morbid thought, I see the doctor coming down the hall." True to her word the doctor was in the room in a minute flat.

"Again, this is some amazing stuff. It turns out that his DNA makes your DNA stronger Maria. Bur here's the weird thing, it only works on your DNA. It's like Shadow was designed to help you live longer." The doctor explained.

"How much longer?" I asked for the both of us.

"It's hard to say exactly. I put the data points in the computer and ran a prediction program and it came back with an error saying the number was too big for the computer to handle. So I would say at least a couple hundred or even thousands of years. That is if you two are together that long."

"Are there any side effects of this process?" Maria asked.

"Not that I can think of. The only thing I noticed was that after the effect went away your DNA was a tad bit more resilient than before, meaning that you'll most likely get stronger over time. But it'll be so slow you won't notice."

"What would your estimation be for how long she could go before her body went back to normal?" I asked.

"The computer actually gave a real number for that. It said if no incidents happened in a week her body would start to wear down like a normal person. So a kiss or whatever does it a week should be enough to keep her from aging faster. I'm sure that will be really hard." That last part he said sarcastically. "I'll keep testing your samples and see if I dig anything else up, but for now you're free to go." So we thanked him and left. As soon as we got outside Maria kissed me.

"He said a week, not an hour." I joked afterward.

"I know, I just like doing it. Man, living for hundreds of years. I can't even imagine it."

"Neither can I and I'm for sure immortal. But we get to spend it together."

"Which raises the question, what if somehow you do die or we get separated for a long time?"

"I'll think of something."

"Like what, storing up your spit in vials?" Maria joked.

"Something like that."


	18. Maria is 17

**A/N- I look outside my window and it looks like Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3. So just as a warning, I might not be able to update Friday if I don't have electricity. Oh, and just to be clear, this is Maria's 17th birthday, not the 18th that was previewed in chapter 1. Enjoy the chapter. **

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 18

**Maria POV**

The morning of my 17th birthday I woke up in bed alone. There was a note from Shadow saying he was at work but would see me later. So you can imagine my surprise when I walked into the living room and most of my friends jumped up and yelled, "Surprise!"

"Huh, wha?" I said still a bit tired. Shadow walked up to me and gave me a kiss to wake me up.

"Happy birthday." He said with a smile.

"How did you get everyone in here without waking me up?" I asked.

"A little thing I like to call Chaos Control."

"Should have guessed that." I said. Then I realized something. "Ooh, do I get cake? I hope it's chocolate."

"You bet." Cream said from the kitchen. "Amy knew she wouldn't be here so she made one for you."

"That's very thoughtful of her."

"Yeah it is, and she said she's sorry she missed your party."

"I understand. Besides, she'll be here for the next one most likely." After I said that Tails spoke up.

"Oh, before I forget, Sonic sent these new running shoes from the road as his present." He said handing me a box.

"Cool, they're Soap brand shoes. Be sure to thank him for me. Now let's eat cake!" I said moving to the kitchen myself. It's a good thing we finally got that table, because every seat was taken. After the cake was pretty much devoured everyone started giving me their presents.

"Here you go." Blaze said going first. "Both mine and Silver's presents are inside." I opened the box and saw a pair of glasses and a bracelet.

"The glasses are mine." Silver said. "They're virtual reality glasses, whatever you can think will appear in front of you."

"These are really cool Silver, thanks."

"And I made that bracelet from some of the materials we brought from the future. It should be very durable."

"And it's really pretty, I love it." I said truthfully. Then Cream gave me her present.

"I made these stuffed dolls for you. They're supposed to look like you and Mr. Shadow. Do you like them?"

"Of course I do Cream, they look very well made. And the Shadow one is really cute looking." I joked getting everyone to laugh, even Shadow chuckled.

"And now for my present." Tails said. "I was in a rush and couldn't wrap it or anything, but it's a model of my plane. It's remote controlled so you can fly it around wherever you want." He handed me the controls and I tried to fly it, but I crashed it. "It may take some practice."

"I'll get it to fly, you just watch. Thanks Tails." He nodded. Then I waited for Shadow to start talking.

"Well, you know from earlier that my present involves travel."

"Yeah, I still don't know where though."

"I'm taking you on vacation to one of the most romantic places on Mobius, Seaside Hill."

"You mean I'll get to see the ocean?" I asked wistfully.

"You bet. We leave tomorrow. But before that, Cream and Blaze were nice enough to volunteer to help you get all the stuff you need for our trip." Shadow answered.

"Besides, we thought since you didn't have a sweet 16 party we could hit the town together and let loose." Blaze added.

"Well, I can say without a doubt this is my best birthday ever and it's not even noon. You guys are really good friends." I said thanking everyone. Then I got dressed to go out with Cream and Blaze. I was the last one to leave, but before I did Shadow stopped me.

"I have one more present for you." He said leaning in and giving me a long, lingering kiss. "Happy birthday again. Now go have some fun, but don't go too crazy."

"I promise. I love you Shady."

"I love you too, now go." So I left with Cream and Blaze. We went to the mall first. We got some food and then walked towards the shops. We passed the one store where I got my clothes the first time and I was confused.

"That store doesn't sell beach clothes." Blaze said noticing my confusion.

"Yeah, you're going to need a sun hat, some sunglasses, and a swimsuit." Cream added. "Oh, and probably a towel." I was still caught on the swimsuit thing.

"I don't know how to swim." I said.

"I'm sure Shadow could teach you, but you should get a swimsuit anyway because he'll like it, if you catch my drift." That's when it hit me.

"Oh, I get it now. But I still want to learn how to swim." When we got to the shop the easiest things to get were the hat, sunglasses, and towel. I had trouble picking out the right swimsuit though. I finally found one that I liked after trying one about 10. Then we wasted some time just looking at stuff in other shops before leaving. Then Blaze took us to a cozy little coffee shop so we could just talk and catch up. We even got up on stage and did some improv poetry. All in all it was a great day. I got back home at about ten and Shadow was waiting for me.

"Did you have fun?" He asked me.

"Sure did."

"Well, we should be getting to bed, our train leaves at 8 in the morning."

"A train? You're just trying to overload my brain with happiness aren't you?"

"Maybe, what of it?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well, I might have to return the favor somehow." I said smirking back.

"And how would you go about doing that?"

"You'll just have to wait and see when we get to the beach." Then I thought about something Blaze said earlier. "Do you know how to swim?"

"Yeah, I kinda figured I'd have to teach you though. I hope you got a swimsuit."

"Oh believe me, I did."


	19. It's About Time

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 19

**Shadow POV**

The next morning I woke up before Maria did. I packed my meager supplies, some extra money, two back up inhibitor rings, my red swim trunks, and some other things in a duffel bag and placed it next to Maria's suitcase that she packed last night. Then I walked back to the bed to wake her up.

"Maria, wake up sweetie." That last part felt really weird to say and I think Maria caught it as well.

"Sweetie?" She asked rolling over to face me.

"I don't know, you get to call me Shady all the time so I thought you should get a pet name too."

"I think you need some work." She joked.

"I know. I guess I'm not the kind of guy whose good at verbally expressing himself." I admitted.

"Maybe, but I know you mean well. Now you might want to leave so I can get dressed." Maria said getting out of the bed.

"Well, I think I know something that can help me show you how I feel." I said placing my hand on her cheek. Then I brought her head closer to mine and kissed her. She put her arms around me and brought me closer. Then I pinned her arms up and took her nightshirt off.

"Hm, getting frisky are we?" Maria asked between kisses.

"Just helping you out, I hope you don't mind." I answered as our foreheads met.

"I don't mind at all, I enjoyed that very much. But seeing as you aren't going to go any farther, you probably want to leave like I said before."

"Fine, fine, if that's how you want to be. I'll leave."

"You better watch it, it sounds like your reconsidering our deal." Maria said putting her hands on her hips.

"Who said I'm not." I said vaguely as I walked out. I wonder how she took that.

**Maria POV**

What the heck was that all about?! Not that I'm complaining, he's getting closer. But did he mean what he said. I really hope so. Anyway, I got dressed in my light blue tank top and shawl with my skinny jeans and went into the kitchen to see Shadow making some toast. We ate and then headed out to the train station. Shadow didn't want to have to leave his bike there se we jogged there. The train looked so much different than the ones I read about, so I asked Shadow about it.

"Yeah, I wondered about that when I first saw it too. Apparently the tracks use huge magnets to move super fast. I heard that the fastest one in the world can go almost as fast as Sonic and I."

"That's kinda cool. How fast does this one go?"

"Only about 250 mph, but the trip should only take an hour or so."

"Well, thank you Shadow. This is one of the many things I've always wanted to do." I said giving him a hug.

"You're welcome, honey."

"Keep trying."

"Darn it." I chuckled and we got on the train. I have to say, the train was fun, but now that I know how fun running with Shadow is, I like running better. Though Shadow doesn't have food stored in his back. Anyway, after the train, with it's amazing views, we headed to a hotel named Seaside Heights. It wasn't the tallest building, but it was nice and clean looking.

"How'd you hear about this place Shadow?" I asked as we walked into the lobby.

"It's an interesting story. I actually came here once for a G.U.N misson. I liked how the place looked and the employees were nice so I decided to come back some time, and that time just happens to be now."

"I feel very honored to be the one you took then."

"Good. Now what do you want to do first?"

"I was thinking you could teach me how to swim now. This place has a pool right? I want to learn before we get to the beach."

"Okay, let's get to our room and put our things away, then we can go to the pool."

**Shadow POV**

All I had to do to get ready was to take my shoes off and get my swim trunks on. Maria told me to go down without her so I did. I sat down on one of the folding chairs by the pool and reclined it so I could lay on my back. I must have still been a bit tired because I closed my eyes and the next thing I heard was Maria's voice.

"Shady, Shady." She said in a sing-song voice. My eyes fluttered open to see something amazing. Maria was standing right in front of me wearing a green jungle-print bikini that showed off her body perfectly. I was in shock until she spoke again. "Did someone sucker punch you while you were napping? Your nose is bleeding." I moved my hand to my nose and she was right.

"No, that's just something that happens to guys when..." I trailed off wondering if I should finish.

"When what?" Maria asked. Ah, it can't hurt to tell her.

"When a guy gets turned on really suddenly. Their body can't control the blood rush so their nose bleeds."

"Well, I was going to ask how you liked my swimsuit, but I guess I got my answer." She said sitting down near my head.

"You, I just want to, ooooh." I said stumbling over my words.

"You can tell me later when you're more composed. Now come on, you said you'd teach me how to swim." And that I did with much pleasure. I only taught her to basics, floating, holding your breath, how to use air bubbles, some basic strokes, stuff like that. That should be good enough for the beach. When we got done we hurried up to our room to dry off. Or that's what we thought we were going to do. As soon as the door closed Maria turned to face me. I could see drops of water falling off her wet spines and it just turned me on so much. I took a quick step forward, brought her body up to mine, and kissed her as hard as I could. She took a few steps back in shock but our lips stayed connected. Then we tilted our heads some so we could get access to the other's mouth. After a while my hands moved up Maria's back and I undid the top of her bikini. I could feel her bare chest against mine as she broke the kiss.

"Shadow, what are you doing?" She asked out of breath.

"Something you've wanted me to do for a long time." I answered confidently. Then, before she could respond, I picked her up and threw her on the bed. I jumped on too and got on top of her.

"Well, it's about time." She said pulling me down for more. One thing led to another and I was hovering over Maria ready to put it in.

"Maria, are you sure you want to do this?" I asked being a good boyfriend.

"Yes, I am." She answered. "But can I ask you something first?"

"Sure."

"Have you done this before? You know, having sex." I leaned in real close and whispered my answer in her ear.

"Nope, you're my first as well. And I can't think of anyone better to share this with."

"I feel the same way." She said back softly. Now I'm not giving out any specifics, but I enjoyed what happened next. It may have been short and slightly awkward, but I'm sure we can get better.

"So, was that what you expected?" I asked Maria after we had caught our breaths and covered ourselves up.

"Not exactly, but I still enjoyed it." She said moving her hand to my cheek. "I love you Shady."

"And I love you more." Then I had a thought. "I don't need a pet name for you, all I need to know is that you're my Maria."

"But I can still call you Shady right?" She joked making me chuckle.

"You can call me whatever you want. So, we still have some time to do something tonight. You want to go somewhere?"

"Not really, I just want to take a shower and watch some TV tonight."

"Do you mind if I join you in taking that shower?"

"Not at all." I am one lucky hedgehog.


	20. Beach Day

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 20

**Shadow POV**

When I woke up the next morning the sun was cracking through the curtains slightly. I got up without disturbing Maria and walked over to them. With one sweeping motion I separated them letting the sunlight light up the entire room.

"Hm, wha?" I heard Maria mumble as she woke up. She wiggled her nose in a cute way while doing so.

"Good morning Maria. Did you sleep well?"

"You know I did." She answered with a smile. "Are we still in love?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" I asked back furrowing my brow.

"Well, I heard that sometimes when best friends who become couples have sex for the first time they find out that they don't love each other anymore." She answered. I knelt down next to the bed to get face to face with her.

"Maria, I love you and nothing will ever change that. Yeah, last night probably changed some things, but it's for the better in my opinion." And I kissed her forehead after that. She giggled in that way I love and I knew it was alright.

"Thank you Shady, I just wanted to make sure. So, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I wanted to go to the beach today." I answered with a grin.

"I wanted to do that too, how strange." Maria joked back.

"And then I have something special planned for this evening."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Maybe. What do I get in return?"

"Will this do?" And with that Maria moved my head closer and kissed me deeply.

"I think so." I said after we broke apart. "I got us tickets to a concert. And we get to go backstage and everything."

"How did you get your hands on those?" Maria asked slightly shocked.

"Well, who do we know that's in a band?"

"Sonic. I should have known. See what cool things having friends gets you?"

"I think it's more you being my girlfriend, but yeah." Then a rare thing happened, my stomach growled.

"Never heard that from you before." Maria said about as surprised as I was.

"I know right? Good thing neither of us has to cook breakfast."

"Whose making fun of whose cooking now?"

"You know that wasn't my point, I love your cooking. Now let's go downstairs before I become the only immortal person to die of hunger." I helped Maria out of bed and we walked down to the breakfast room. The food was standard fare, nothing too special. I had a chocolate donut and Maria had a toasted bagel. After that we got our beach stuff ready and left. It took about 15 minutes to walk down to the beach with all the stuff restricting how fast we could go.

"You go find us a spot while I change." Maria said handing me what she was carrying.

"Anywhere specific?" I asked.

"Preferably somewhere where the girls are wearing clothes."

"Good idea." I said as Maria entered the changing tent. I didn't need to change since I walked over already wearing my swim trunks. I scanned the beach and found a spot that was close to the water but not too close so the waves wouldn't hit us. I stuck our umbrella in the sand and set our chairs under it. I sat down on mine and put my sunglasses on and waited for Maria. She was there a few minutes later.

"Am I still looking good?" She asked as her body blocked out the sun a bit.

"As hot as ever." I answered.

"Good. Okay, I'm going to go swim now." She said cheerily, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Not without putting on some suntan lotion you're not." I said.

"Suntan lotion? I've never heard of that before. What does it do?"

"It protects your skin from the sun's rays so it doesn't get burned. And believe me, that hurts, I learned the hard way."

"Then I think I want some."

"Good choice. Okay, hold out your hands." She did and I squirted some lotion into them. "You do your front and I'll get your back."

"Okay." She said as she started rubbing her arms. I started on her shoulders and slowly moved down her back, careful not to remove any of her clothing. I ended up on her tail and I gave it a little pinch. Maria gave out a cute yelping sound and turned around to see me on the verge of a laughing fit.

"Shadow, what was that for?" She asked putting her hands on her hips. Oooh, she looks so hot right now.

"I thought it would be funny and it was." I answered truthfully.

"Then it's only fair that I get to pinch yours." Maria said with a devious looking grin. She took a step towards me and I took a step back. Then another step and another. Then, before I could think, she jumped on me and started grabbing for my tail. We rolled around in the sand for a few seconds until she finally got it. "Gotcha!"

"Nicely played Maria." We both heard from the direction of our feet. We sat up to see Rouge and Knuckles standing there in their swimwear.

"Rouge, is G.U.N. making you follow us? Because if they are, Maria and I will fall off the grid so fast not even Tails and the Chaotix combined could find us." I said half serious, half joking.

"Come on Shad, you know me. I wouldn't do that even if it was a direct order from the president. Besides, I quit a few weeks ago anyway." That was news to me.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"It wasn't any fun without you around. And I couldn't convince Knuxy here to join with them."

"So what are you doing for work now?" Maria asked.

"I restarted my modeling career I once had briefly. Luckily nothing in the industry had drastically changed."

"You should do well, you're very pretty Rouge." Maria complemented.

"Thanks hon, but you're good looking too. Don't forget that."

"Okay, I wont." Maria said feeling good about what Rouge said. I took the silence to cut in and ask my own question.

"And you're okay with this Knuckles?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I get to date a super hot model." Rouge jabbed hin in the ribs for that but she was smiling when she did it. "By the way, have either of you seen any of the Super Emeralds? We've been looking for them ever since a tornado blew through Angel Island."

"Nope, sorry." I said. "But I'll be on the lookout now. What do they look like?"

"Like Chaos Emeralds just bigger."

"Got it."

"Well, it was nice seeing you again Maria. You take care of Shadow for me will ya?" Rouge said getting ready to leave.

"I will, don't you worry. Are you guys going to be at the concert tonight?"

"I don't think so, but you two have fun. See you later Shadow." Rouge said taking off with Knuckles running after her."

"See you." I said to no use. Then my tail got pinched again. "Oh, it's on now."


	21. All Hail Shadow

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 21

**Maria POV**

Going to the beach was really fun. I even got to make a sandcastle like I'd always wanted to. But, after that, Shadow and I ate an early dinner and then we hailed a taxi to take us to the stadium where the concert was being held. That made me wonder something.

"Shadow, are you interested in sports at all?"

"Well, I've been in the Olympics a few times, but other than that not really."

"You we're in the Olympics and you didn't know how to ice skate?"

"They let me use my rocket boots. And just wait, you'll probably be in the next ones."

"Then shouldn't we be training or something?"

"You can, but no one really takes them that seriously anymore. Although you will meet some interesting people. They even let your cousin out of prison for those few weeks."

"Hm, okay. Do you have fun there?"

"I will this time." Shadow answered with a smile. Right then the cab stopped and we paid the driver and stepped out. A huge sign above the stadium said 'Crush 40, One Night Only! With Special Guest Performers!' "There sure are a lot of people here." I said looking at all the cars.

"Good thing we have reserved spots. Now let's go see our friends before the show."

"Okay." I said happily. We found the backstage entrance and the guards let us in. The first thing we saw was Manic standing on a table telling a story.

"And then I took the fish and," He spotted us, "hey it's the Angel and the Emo!"

"Manic, be nice." Sonia said pulling him off the table.

"Eh, I don't care because it isn't true anymore. How are you guys?" Shadow asked.

"Oh you know, traveling to different places, sleeping on a bus, it couldn't get any better. Wait, yeah it can. I get paid to do it too." Manic said.

"I'm in it for the music." Sonia said joking. I saw an armadillo next to her with his arm on her shoulder. "Anyway, Maria I wanted to introduce my boyfriend I told you about earlier."

"Might the Armadillo at your service." He said stepping forward to shake my hand. When he said that Shadow turned to face him.

"Would you be the same Mighty who the Chaotix have been looking for since 1993?" He asked.

"Yeah." Mighty said bummed. "Espio and I had a falling out and I left and didn't come back."

"He ran into us and we kinda took a liking to each other." Sonia added.

"Please don't tell the guys where I am, I'm really enjoying traveling with these guys." Mighty said.

"Sure thing." Shadow said.

"Where are Sonic and Amy?" I asked looking around.

"Probably in the dressing room making out." Manic answered. And as if on cue they came out of a room with messy looking spines. "Called it."

"Heh-heh, hey Shadow, Maria." Sonic said awkwardly.

"You know I've seen worse." Shadow said back. Meanwhile Amy was giving me a huge hug.

"It feels like we haven't seen each other in forever. Come over here so we can talk." She said taking me a few steps away. "So, did you like the cake I made you?"

"Yes, it was very tasty."

"Good, I didn't know if it would stay fresh for that long. What's been new with you lately?"

"Well, let's see. I rescued a lost chao, I might be immortal, and Shadow and I had sex for the first time."

"He didn't force you to do it did he?" She is really overprotective of me for some reason. Not that I mind.

"No he didn't. In fact I think I kinda forced him a little."

"Well at least one of us is getting some action. Sonic and I keep getting interrupted left and right. But I get to be in the band and that's fun." Then a bell rang throughout the room. "Speaking of that, that's the 30 minute warning bell. You guys should get to your spot."

"Okay. I'm glad you're having fun and I'll see you later. Break a leg out there."

**Shadow POV**

The concert started right on time at 9:00 PM. Manic got the crowd riled up and introduced everyone. Sonic and Amy even got lifted up from below the stage. They were kissing as they rose up and I think they might be a little desperate for some intimacy. Anyway, after the introduction, they started playing. Now I might not be what anyone would call 'musically inclined' but these guys were really good. My feet were tapping and I was slightly bobbing my head. Maria looked very happy and excited as well.

"This is the coolest thing ever!" She yelled over the sounds of the crowd at one point. I moved closer to her so I wouldn't have to yell.

"I'm glad you're having fun too." I said into her ear. "Do you want to get on my shoulders so you can see better?"

"Okay." She answered. So I bent down and she got on my back. I stood up and Maria's legs hung over my shoulders and she put her hands on my head. "This isn't too uncomfortable for you is it?"

"No, I'm good. How's the view up there?"

"It's great. Though you should see it for yourself."

"Maybe we can switch later, we both know you can carry my weight." I joked. Maria giggled and kissed my ear. After that the band played a few more songs and we switched like we said we would. Then towards the end... well you'll see.

"Okay, before we go we have one more song to play." Manic said over the microphone. "And it goes out to a special someone who we know is out in the crowd tonight." I knew something was up right then. "You ready Sonic?" Sonic nodded and started to play the beginning guitar riffs of a song I knew all too well.

"Oh, no." I muttered.

"What's wrong Shadow?" Maria asked.

"Just listen."

_All hail Shadow, heroes rise again,_

_Obliterating everything that's not your friend,_

_Nothing can stop you now,_

_No ghosts to bring you down,_

_When there's nothing else to lose you w-iii-n!_

Maria just stared at me in shock. "They wrote a song about you?"

"Multiple actually. They were for my game."

"What?"

"I'll tell you later." Yeah that's going to be fun. Anyway, after that the concert was over and we went back to the hotel after getting a quick midnight snack.

"Best birthday present ever!" Maria said flopping on the bed. I laid down next to her and put my arm around her waist.

"Well, it was all for you because you deserve it."

"Then you deserve this." She said turning over to kiss me. "I love you Shadow."

"I love you more."


	22. The Doom

**A/N- Just a note, yes I know I kinda modified Omega's backstory a bit from the comics, but it's still pretty much the same idea.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 22

**Shadow POV**

The next morning we were still kinda bombed out from the concert so we decided to stay in. Besides, I had called someone to come over to deliver some supplies to help me explain the whole 'my game' thing to Maria. There was a knock on the door and I went to open it.

"Hello Shadow, how are you?" Came a robotic voice belonging to my friend Omega.

"I'm good. Are you okay, you never ask me how I feel."

"I have recently been upgraded with a personality chip. I can now have what you call feelings like concern and excitement."

"Well, come on in buddy." I said and he ducked through the doorway and followed me.

"Who is this?" Maria asked with a confused look.

"My name is E123-Omega. I am currently an agent of G.U.N. Shadow asked me to bring him something."

"So you and Shadow are friends?"

"Affirmative, I once helped him save the world and regain his memories."

"Cool." Maria said intrigued. I spoke up again because I wanted to test something.

"So Omega, do you know who this is?" I asked.

"Negative, I have never met her before. Starting scan and search now." He stopped moving and started, well I guess he was sort of 'thinking.' "Scans show that there is a 98% chance that this is Maria Robotnik, cousin of my creator Dr. Ivo Robotnik."

"Very good Omega, you are correct." I said. Maria was just sitting on the bed being shocked at the information he just spat out.

"Ivo created you? Then what aren't you evil?" She finally asked.

"I was given the programming of a former robot named Gamma. The one you call Amy Rose somehow corrupted his programming and made him good. That quality got passed on to me."

"Amy just turns everyone good doesn't she?"

"She even convinced Silver not to kill me when we met. She's that good." I chimed in. "So Omega, did you get what I asked for?"

"Affirmative, but I could only find one controller." He said producing a box from his chest cavity.

"Thanks. You want to stay while I explain all this to Maria?"

"My sensors indicate that I would, but my schedule dictates that I can't. Forgive me if that is unsatisfactory."

"No, I understand. Make it back in one piece okay?"

"Affirmative. But before I leave, my sensors detect that Maria wants to copulate with you. Use that information as you wish." And with that he left. I turned to Maria.

"Copulate?" She asked.

"That means have sex with."

"Oh. Well he's right."

"The box can wait I guess."

**Maria POV**

"Was that better than the last time?" Shadow asked after I had gotten redressed.

"Yes, very much so. I feel so relaxed afterward, how about you?"

"I feel very at peace right now, which should help out a lot right now." Shadow answered opening the box that his friend Omega gave him. He pulled out some black cords, a purple hunk of plastic with a cord, and lastly a purple cube like thing.

"What is that stuff Shadow?" I asked.

"I'll explain everything in time, but I have to start at the beginning."

"Okay."

"So, you may have seen some commercials on TV about these things called video games."

"Every once in a while, yeah."

"Well, someone got the somewhat decent idea to make some games that coincided with Sonic and his friend's adventures. For the most part the games are pretty fun to play and everyone likes them. Then they made a game where I was the main character." With that last sentence Shadow pulled out a box that sort of looked like a book out of the other box. It had a picture of himself being angry and holding a gun.

"I take it you don't like it." I said simply.

"Oh, it's not just me. This game is considered to be one of the worst Sonic games ever made."

"It can't be that bad." I said trying to console him.

"I thought you would say that. So, let me set this up and I'll show you." So after about ten minutes, Shadow had hooked up the purple cube to the TV and told me how to play the game. "Oh, lucky you. Last time I played this I left off on 'The Doom', the worst level in the game." He said sarcastically.

"Seriously?" I asked him with slight irritation.

"Yeah, the only good part is that you're in the level."

"I'm in this game?" I asked in shock.

"Just play it and you'll see." So I did. After a few minutes I found myself.

"Eww, why are my eyes so big? That looks nothing like what I used to look like!"

"I agree. But you should have seen yourself in Sonic Adventure 2, it looked even worse. In my opinion the best version of you was in the cartoon series we had a while back."

"Oh, I love watching cartoons."

"Well, I have the box sets at home if you want to watch them. They're pretty accurate with the stuff that happened to us, with the exception of some things."

"Like what?"

"They added a few human kid characters who didn't exist for the human audiences. But you will be able to see what happened to Cosmo without making Tails go into a mental breakdown."

"Yeah, Amy told me about her, that was so sad."

"I tried to save her, but couldn't." Shadow said sorta depressed. I gave him a hug around his neck to comfort him.

"Let's not think about it and play your game, okay?"

"Okay. But it's your funeral." 25 minutes. It took me 25 minutes to finish that horrible level, and I even had Shadow's help.

"I am never playing this game again." I said afterwards.

"Good choice. But don't worry, I have the good games at home and multiple controllers so we can play together."

"That sounds like fun. So what do you want to do now?"

"I was thinking of eating. Did you see that tropical looking restaurant near the beach? I want to try that out."

"Okay, just let my get my hat."


	23. Surfing and Spinning

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 23

**Shadow POV**

On the last full day of our two week vacation I decided I wanted to learn something new. So that's why Maria and I were holding surfboards and standing at the edge of the water waiting for our instructor to show up.

"Any particular reason you wanted to learn how to surf Shady?" Maria asked me while we waited.

"I know it's petty, but because Sonic can't do it."

"You two have a strange relationship, I have to say."

"Well, we my be friends now but we're still rivals. Besides, he knows how to do things that I can't." I admitted.

"Like what?"

"He can whistle and I can't."

"Really? You can't do this?" Maria said as she started to whistle a sweet sounding melody.

"Show off." I said flatly.

"I know, but it's funny I can do something the 'Ultimate Lifeform' can't."

"I guess it is a little funny." I agreed. About that time the instructor showed up. He was a really buff looking dog who was taller than both of us.

"I guess it's a slow day today, you two look like the only ones who showed up. Well, I'll introduce myself. My name is Ben and obviously I'm a dog. Doberman to be exact.

"Shadow the Hedgehog." I said shaking his hand.

"And what's your name pretty lady?" He asked Maria. This guy better not be a problem.

"Maria Robotnik." She said flatly as he kissed her hand. "I'm also a hedgehog."

"A beautiful name. So do you two know each other?"

"I'm her boyfriend." I said grinding my teeth together. Maria leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Calm down, you're starting to glow red. You know this guy is nothing compared to you." I took a deep breath and replied.

"Thank you Maria, I needed that." After that we headed out onto the water. And I have to say it was pretty fun except for the part where the instructor kept hitting on Maria even after I had said I was her boyfriend. It all culminated on my last wave of the day. I paddled out and waited for it to come. I quickly turned around and paddled some more to get balanced and soon enough I could stand on the board on top of the wave. I steered into the tube and it looked amazing. But when I got out I looked over to where Maria was and saw the instructor holding her really close. I immediately turned towards the beach but before I could get there Maria punched him making him fly at least 50 yards onto the beach. When I got closer I sat down on my board and held Maria close to me.

"He freaking kissed me!" She yelled into my shoulder.

"And you stood up for yourself and punched him." I comforted her. "That was an impressive punch."

"Well, I did learn from the best." She said more calmly.

"How about we get out of here and I can teach you something else?" I suggested.

"Okay, but I need to get this funky taste out of my mouth."

"I think I can help with that as well." I said. And with that I hopped onto Maria's board and kissed her deeply. "You are one amazing young woman, and don't you forget that."

**Maria POV**

So, after that incident, Shadow and I walked over to a big sandy hill. I was confused and I voiced how I felt with a question.

"What are we doing here?"

"Well, I never got around to telling you how to roll into a ball and since sand is softer than most things I thought we could do it now."

"Okay, what should I do first?" I asked eagerly.

"First, sit down and bring your knees up to your head." Shadow instructed, so I did. "Now, you're going to want to remember this position for later. I'm going to push you down the hill now. Just hug your legs and stay calm." I grabbed my legs and nodded. Shadow pushed me and I felt the warm sand all over my body. I kept going like that until I hit the water. When I stood up Shadow was right next to me.

"That was fun, and I'm not even dizzy." I said.

"Good, then we can move on to the next step." So Shadow also taught me how to ball up from a standing position and while running. Then he said he had one more thing he wanted me to try. "It's called a spin-dash. It kinda breaks the laws of physics, so I don't know exactly why it works, but it's effective."

"Okay, how do I do it?"

"First ball up." I did. "Then you need to start spinning in place." I was wary about that part, but somehow I did it. "And as soon as you have enough energy, you go forward." And go forward I did. I was going faster than I had ever run. But then I almost ran into a snack cart and turned around. I was still going too fast and I was heading back towards Shadow. So I came out of the ball, but my momentum basically had me tackle Shadow.

"Sorry Shady." I said barely holding in a laugh.

"Don't worry, that took me a while to perfect as well." He replied smiling.

"Did I ever tell you your chest fur is really fluffy and comfortable?" I asked resting my head on it.

"No, but that's good to know." He answered putting his arm around me. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?"

"Probably, but I like hearing it." I joked.

"You're so funny Maria. I swear my chest has gotten stronger from all the laughing I've done lately."

"That's very sweet of you to say." I said blushing. "I love you Shadow."

"I love you Maria, now and always."


	24. They're Back

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 24

**Maria POV**

As soon as we got off the train that took us back home, Shadow pinched my side.

"Hey, what was that for?" I asked rubbing the spot that was pinched.

"It's St. Patrick's Day and you're not wearing green." Shadow said with a smile.

"And how do you know that for a fact? I could be wearing green underwear."

"I watched you get dressed this morning, don't you remember that?" Darn his advanced brain. I looked him over and saw that one of his inhibitor rigs was painted green.

"Did you do that last night?" I asked pointing at it.

"No actually. I did it a few years ago so no one would bother me for not being festive. And I don't like being pinched."

"Not even by me?" I asked grinning.

"Well, there's always on exception to a rule. But I'm wearing green so ha!"

"Oh, it's on now." I said heading for a bathroom. It was a warm enough day so I took my shirt off and put my bikini top on which was green. I walked out with confidence straight back to where Shadow was.

"Nicely played Robotnik, nicely played." He said looking me over. Then he brought me closer and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "So, how do you feel about going to a party tonight?"

"What's it for?"

"Vector always throws a huge party for everyone in Station Square on St. Patrick's Day. The only condition is that he gets to be the DJ and pick the music."

"Yeah okay, a party sounds like fun." I said interested.

"Just be careful when we're there, some people like to take advantage of other people and some of them spike the drinks with alcohol."

"I think I'll be fine, I'll have you there to protect me."

"I know, but I like being a good boyfriend by telling the girl I love about things that could harm her." Shadow said back with a smart-alek grin.

"And that's why I love you." Then I felt my stomach rumble. "Can we get some lunch?" I asked.

"Sure, there's this café around the corner I wanted to try before we left but we didn't have time." I agreed and we walked hand in hand until we reached some white chairs and tables with umbrellas above them. That's when we saw Tails and Cream sitting across the way. They both waved us over and we obliged.

"When did you guys get back?" Cream asked us as we got there.

"Only about 15 minutes ago actually. We came here to get some lunch." I answered.

"Well, do you care to join us? We haven't ordered yet." Tails offered. Shadow shrugged so I took that as a yes and sat down. Shadow sat down next to me and we all got to catching up.

"I really must thank you for your advice Maria." Cream said at one point.

"About what?" I asked drawing a blank.

"Tails silly, you were completely right."

"So you two are a couple now?" I asked.

"You bet." Tails said happily. "And I couldn't be happier. So I should be thanking you too Maria."

"You're welcome. You two deserve to be happy, you both have such sweet personalities."

"Yeah, now if Vector could just get the nerve up to propose to your mother, we'd all have someone." Shadow chimed in.

"Oh, so that's what you meant before." I said remembering my breakfast at Cream's house a little more. "How do you feel about that Cream?"

"I'm totally okay with it. He makes my mother happy and Mr. Vector is a really nice guy. He's funny too." So after that we ate our lunches and went our separate ways. Shadow and I went home and everything was like it was when we left. We put our things away and waited to leave for the party. Shadow said that since so many people show up the party has to be held out in the street.

"Here we are, right in front of the entrance of Twinkle Park." Shadow said as we pulled up.

"There's no party here." I said confused.

"We have to park here so we don't disturb anyone. The party is over by the casino." Shadow explained.

"That makes sense. Thought, what is this place?"

"It's an amusement park built for couples. Obviously I've never been inside." He joked. "We can come back some other day if you want."

"Okay, that sounds like it could be a fun date." I said. After that we walked over to the party. Hundreds of people were all laughing and having a good time. Vector was in his own little word over at the DJ table. I spotted Blaze and Cream in the crowd. "I'm going to go over there." I said pointing in their general direction.

"Okay, have fun."

**Shadow POV**

You know, usually I don't like being in huge crowds but this is different. I got to catch up with the Chaotix, eat some interesting new food, and indulge myself in drinking a few beers. Hey, it's legal, I am like 70 years old. Plus my body can filter it out more than the average person, so it would take me about 5 times as many to drunk than anyone else. Anyway, it was getting late and I was about to find Maria so we could leave when I bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" The girl said turning around. I was surprised to see that it was Princess Sally.

"You come to this party too?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda forced to for publicity reasons. What about you?"

"I'm friends with Vector." That's when I noticed something. "You're wearing clothes." More specifically pants, gloves, and a jacket that actually covered most of her chest.

"Oh these, Manny designed this outfit for me."

"Manny as in Manic?" I asked.

"Yeah, we've been writing each other back and forth. He even said I could join the band when they came back."

"I'm not going to have to come with you am I?"

"No, you're just going to move over to protecting my brother Elias."

"Okay, not that I don't like you, I just don't think I could deal with Manic for that long."

"I understand." Then I heard a commotion. "Um, speaking of clothes, isn't that your girlfriend over there swinging he bikini top around?" I turned to see Maria standing on a table doing exactly that.

"I have to go." I said quickly. I grabbed a tablecloth off a table and covered Maria up. I ran home with her in my arms so she wouldn't do anything else to embarrass herself.

"Hey, I was havin' fun." Maria slurred as we went. Oh, she'll be having fun in the morning. I even warned her about this. Then she started giggling. "We're talking hedgehogs Shady." She said.

"I know." I said as we got home. I'll get my bike later. Right now I just need to get Maria to bed. I tucked her in and she fell right to sleep. "I wonder if a kiss will cure a hangover?" I mused to myself. "Guess I'll find out tomorrow."


	25. What Might Have Been

**A/N- I put into words how thankful I am for all your support through this story. I mean it already has more reviews than The Blue Blur Slows Down and that story is 33 chapters long. You guys are awesome.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 25

**Maria POV**

I woke up with the worst headache I've ever had in my life. I could barely open my eyes because the light hurt them so much. I moved my arms around to see if Shadow was there but he wasn't.

"Shadow?" I croaked out weakly. The door opening really did not help me out any.

"Yes Maria?" It sounded like he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Ugh, don't yell please."

"I'm not yelling." He said with a smirk.

"What did I do?" I asked taking off the blankets on my body. "And why don't I have a top on?!"

"You got a little bit crazy at the party last night. What did you drink there?"

"I don't know exactly. All I know is that they tasted fruity and that I had like five of them."

"Well, that explains it. They probably had some alcohol in them and now you have a hangover."

"Will you just get over here and kiss me to make it feel better?"

"I thought you would never ask." He answered crawling into bed next to me. He made sure to make the kiss extra sloppy so it would work.

"Ah, that's the stuff. You want to keep going?" I asked. Shadow opened his mouth to answer but then the phone rang.

"Hold that thought." He said getting up to answer it. While I was waiting I had a thought. What would my parents think of Shadow if they were still alive? I mean he's a really nice person when you get to know him and he's very protective of me, but you never know. Soon enough he was back and the thought went away. "So that was Tails. Looks like Sonic and Amy are finally back and they wanted to invite us to lunch to catch up."

"Oh, that sounds good. Anybody else going to be there?"

"Well, since Tails called me, probably him and Cream, and he called from the hospital so probably Silver and Blaze as well. And if they want to catch up they probably called Knuckles and he'll bring Rouge."

"What restaurant is going to hold that many people at one table?"

"Well, since the pregnant lady chose, we're going to that Japanese restaurant that makes the food right in front of you."

"Is that safe for her and the baby?"

"As long as the food is fully cooked I would think so. It's her decision anyway."

"You're right. And I trust Blaze, she's pretty smart you know?"

"Yeah, I personally think only Tails is smarter then her."

"I would have to agree. Okay, I'm going to get dressed, then we can go."

"Okay. But just in case you're still not feeling the greatest..." He trailed off into another kiss.

"You're silly Shady." I said giggling.

"I know, but I do it for you. Besides, I've been grumpy for too long anyway."

"You know, sooner or later you're not going to be able to say that anymore." I said smiling.

"You know what? You're right, now's the time to stop I guess." Then he paused. "Do you realize that throughout this entire conversation you haven't had a shirt on?"

"Yeah, what of it? You know you like it." I answered smirking.

"Best girlfriend ever."

**Shadow POV**

I have to say, eating at that restaurant was fun. That chef had to have been a magician or know how to use Chaos Control. And then of course there was the conversation I had with Sonic.

"So, you're getting hitched Friday. How you feeling about that?" I asked him when we got a chance to be alone.

"I'm feeling great about that, it's the kids I'm worried about."

"Amy is pregnant?!" I asked worried. I mean Maria looks up to her, what if this makes her want kids before she's married?"

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down Shadow. Amy isn't pregnant. Yet. We just found out we are Silver's great-great-grandparents."

"Whew, okay. Sorry about that. It's just, Maria looks up to her and if Amy was pregnant Maria might think that's how society works here, and I'm not ready for a kid. Just look at me."

"Dude, I said calm down. Has she said anything about kids yet?"

"No."

"The she probably doesn't think she's ready yet either. Besides, I think you would be a good father. Maybe a bit overprotective but that's a good thing."

"Thanks, I think."

"You're welcome." Then there was a short pause.

"You know, I would have thought Silver would be related to me since he's not as fast as you." I said.

"Hm, never thought about that." Then something hit him. "Did you think that before Maria came back?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that means you had your eyes on someone." Oh crap.

"Okay, I'll tell you who, but you're not going to like it."

"Was it my sister?"

"No, it was Amy." I have to give him credit, he didn't get upset and he took it in stride.

"No kidding?" He asked.

"No kidding. I was going to ask her out the same day you did. You just saw her first. I went to her house later in the day, but she was all excited that you had asked her out so I didn't interfere."

"Wow, thanks man. You know, you're a good friend."

"Yeah." I said chuckling. "When did that happen?"

"I don't know, but I think Maria had something to do with it."

"Probably. She's something else man."

"You thinking she's the one? You know, like Amy is for me?"

"More and more everyday Sonic, more and more every day."


	26. A Different View

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 26

**Shadow POV**

So a week later we were all prepared for a wedding I never thought I would be going to, but that goes to show how unpredictable life can be. Anyway, we had Maria and Blaze sneak Amy out of Sonic's house so he wouldn't be able to see her. Silver and I were going to watch Sonic to make sure nothing happened on his end. Both teams had Tails and Cream on call in case they needed back-up. They were at their respective houses getting everyone's clothes ready. It was about 9:30 and Sonic hadn't gotten up yet.

"Silver, start jumping on the bed or something." I said thinking of a way to wake him up.

"Okay." Silver said happily taking a flying leap onto the bed. He stopped after about three or four flops. "You know, for a guy who hates standing still most of the time, he sure can sleep like a brick."

"Yeah, who knew." But right then, Sonic rolled around to face Silver with a really lovestruck look. He snapped out of it when he realized he wasn't Amy.

"Silver, what the hell are you doing in my bed?!" He yelled. Silver wasn't fazed though.

"Uh depends, why are you making kissy faces at me?" He asked back.

"Because I thought you were Amy!" I found this entire situation hilarious, so I let out a small chuckle that let Sonic know I was there too. "Why are you two in my room? And where's Amy?"

"Heh, he doesn't know the first thing about weddings." I said to Silver.

"And you would Mr. Lived on a Space Station?" Sonic asked irritated. I cut him some slack and answered calmly because hey, the dude's getting married, he has to be stressed.

"Actually yes, there was a wedding on the ARK. Lovely couple, about 70ish now." In fact, Maria and I visited them the other day and they are in great health.

"Okay. Anyway, back to the point, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding. It's bad luck or something." Silver said standing up.

"Did you do that on your wedding day?" Sonic asked. Him and his questions.

"We didn't even go to bed together that night before. Blaze stayed over with Shadow and Maria." It was a fun night.

"Handed us our butts in Scrabble like you said she would. Damn Q and Z." I said remembering.

"Okay, so now what?" See, more questions from Sonic.

"Well, first off here," I said throwing him a sack that had all seven Super Emeralds in them. "Knuckles got sick on his expedition with Rouge. He said that these were your wedding present." The last time I saw them Rouge was trying to force Knuckles to eat something.

"Nice, bet Rouge had a hard time parting with these."

"Eh, judging by the new necklace she had on, it was probably a bit easier." People think Knuckles is dumb, but he has his moments of genius.

"Man, since when have you become such a talker?" Silver said joking. It took me a second to realize he was right and to come up with a response.

"Ever since my heart opened up. Love can do that to you as we all have experienced. Anyway Sonic, to finish answering your question, you get to spend the day with us. God help you."

"Hey, it can't be as bad as when you had to take care of me when I had the flu."

"True." Worst week of my life.

"That sounds like it would be a funny story. Why don't you tell it while we get dressed?" Silver suggested.

"Why wait until we get to Tails' house, I can tell it now. Sonic was sick and I did a horrible, horrible job of taking care of him."

"How bad was it?" Silver asked.

"He burnt all my cough drops and medicine because he thought they would be good in soup." Sonic explained. Silver fell to the floor laughing at that.

"In my defense, I've never been sick before so I didn't know. And my cooking has gotten better, just ask Maria."

"Is that who Amy is with?"

"Yeah, her and Blaze are at my house. I hope everything is okay."

**Maria POV**

Everything is not okay! As soon as Amy woke up she went crazy. She whipped out her hammer and started trying to break out of the house.

"Maria, get the hammer out of her hands!" Blaze yelled over the commotion.

"How?!" I yelled back. I wasn't getting in the way of that thing.

"I don't know, doesn't Shadow have a tranquilizer gun somewhere?!" That completely slipped my mind.

"Where's my Sonikku?!" Amy yelled as I got closer to the couch. Note to self, never get between Sonic and Amy ever again.

"I found something!" I called out pulling the gun out from under the cushion. "Here goes nothing." I lined up my shot like I learned how to and squeezed the trigger twice. Both darts went into Amy's neck and she fell over dropping her hammer in the process.

"How do you know how to aim so well?" Blaze asked surprised.

"Well, I don't like using guns, but everyone on the ARK was trained on how to use one, just in case." I remember the first day of that training. I shot Shadow in the foot by accident.

"Well then, what else can you do?" She asked.

"Umm, let's see. Shadow taught me some basic self-defense and Amy has let me join in her boxercise routine a few times. Haven't had a chance to use them much though. Now what are we going to do with Amy?"

"Let's let her sleep some more. She'll probably calm down after that."

"Okay, but let's call Tails, just in case." So I called him and explained the situation and he came over with Cream about 30 minutes later.

"Your clothes are all ready at my house so I decided to check on the guys. That's why I was able to come too." Cream explained. About that time Amy started mumbling.

"Sonic, Sonic." She said reaching her arms out.

"I'm sorry Amy, but Sonic isn't here." Cream told her.

"Then where is he?"

"He's with Silver and Shadow. They're probably eating lunch about now." Cream went on. Amy's eyes moved around the room, surveying her surroundings.

"Where am I exactly?" She asked.

"Oh, you're at my house." I replied.

"Yeah, we thought it would be easier to move you than Sonic." Blaze added. Boy we were wrong.

"Okay then, that answered all my questions, except one. Can we eat now?" That would be a problem.

"Not exactly," I started, "you kinda broke our kitchen."

"What?!"

"The first time you woke up you were alone and you freaked out. I had to tranq you. That's why you have those bumps on your neck."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, but we need to go somewhere to eat."

"Okay. Blaze, is there anywhere specific you need to go?" Amy asked showing she was a good friend.

"Not particularly, but thanks for asking."

"Then how does the Cheesecake Factory sound?"

"Sounds great."


	27. What You Didn't See Before

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 27

**Maria POV**

At 2:30 All of us were dressed and ready for the wedding to begin at 3.

"You guys look great." Amy told us. "Can you guys give me a second alone?" We all nodded and left the room. I felt a rush of air before the door closed and I figured it was Sonic checking on Amy even though it's kinda bad luck. Anyway, I found Shadow near the entrance to the main hall.

"How is she?" Shadow asked.

"Good, she's not freaking out any and she's looking good in her dress. What about Sonic?"

"He was worried that Amy would be worried so he snuck into her room even though I said it would be fine."

"I thought that was him that ran past me." Then I got closer to him. "I missed you."

"Maria, it was only a few hours." I looked him in the eyes. "Just kidding, I missed you too."

"That's what I thought." I said. A few minutes later the music started and so did the wedding. Shadow and I walked down after Silver and Blaze. I kept bumping up against Shadow the whole way because I wanted to be closer to him. Yeah, we were intimate last night, but he didn't seem to mind. After us were Cream and Tails, then Sonic and his mother followed by Amy all by herself. Sonic whispered something to Amy before the ceremony began which made her smile. Then Espio began to talk. But Charmy wasn't there with him like with Silver and Blaze's wedding.

"Welcome everybody. We are all gathered here today to bring together two people very much in love with each other, Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose, in holy matrimony. If anyone has any reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." Now, I didn't think anyone would say anything, but I'm not perfect at guessing things.

"Yeah, I've got one." Said Scourge from the back of the hall. Sonic immediately jumped in front of Amy in a protective stance.

"What the hell are you doing here at my wedding?!" Sonic spat back. No one moved because of the tension.

"Like I said, I have an objection. Amy can't get married to a dead guy, it's illegal." Scourge threatened. Then what looked like 14 Chaos Emeralds started to orbit his body and surround his in darkness. When he stepped out of the darkness his body kept changing into many different dark colors. The white part of his eyes had turned black as well and his irises were red. "I think you're a bit overmatched, me having my Super Beryls and all." He said cockily. But Sonic wasn't fazed at all.

"You need to check your facts better." Sonic said confidently as he had his Emeralds surround his body. Instead of dark colors, Sonic was changing into all sorts of cheery colors. And he had sparkles too.

"You trying to give me an epileptic shock, Edward?" Scourge said with visibly less confidence.

"No, but I will give you a chance. Power down now and I won't hurt you. I'm warning you, I don't know how powerful I am in this form."

"Bring it Sparkles!" Scourge yelled. Sonic then proceeded to smash him through the wall. And then, if that wasn't enough, Charmy burst through the doors yelling.

"Amy! Don't move, you're standing on a bomb!" You've got to be kidding me. Good for us Shadow kept his head and started giving orders.

"Silver, Blaze! Get everyone out of here. Manic, get your tool kit and give it to me. Espio, Tails, go help Sonic if you can!"

"What about me?" I asked moving closer to him.

"Get out of here as fast as you can." He ordered.

"But-"

"Maria, I'm not taking that chance even if you could survive the blast, now GO!" He yelled. I went even though I didn't want to. I hope he knows what he's doing.

**Shadow POV**

"Do you know what you're doing?" Manic asked me while handing me his tools. Amy was standing on a pressure plate and I had found the bomb.

"Kind of."

"How much time you got?"

"30 minutes."

"Wow, he was prepared."

"You should get out of here Manic, go help everyone else."

"Fine, good luck." And he left. Amy was silent as I started prying away metal and wires. I didn't make any headway after about 27 minutes.

"Shadow, am I going to die?" Amy finally asked scared out of her wits.

"No, I'm not going to let that happen. Just think about Sonic and this will be over soon." I said trying to calm her, but I was running out of options. Then I mentally slapped myself. I could Chaos Control the bomb away. But could I survive the blast? I made a snap decision.

"Amy, tell Maria I love her." I said quickly before grabbing the bomb and teleporting it. As soon as I hit the ground it went off. Everything sort of shut down after that. I could smell smoke and nothing else. My body hurt more than it's ever had before. I fought to stay conscious and it paid off when I felt someone check my pulse. I used all my remaining energy to open my eyes and see Maria hovering over me. She looked so worried, but she must have been using her powers subconsciously because I was hurting less every second that passed.

"It's a good thing I'm immortal." I said trying to calm her. She helped me to my feet. "Thank you Maria."

"Don't you ever do that again, you had me worried!" Maria scolded me.

"I don't plan to. That hurt like hell."

"Then maybe this will help." She said kissing me.

"It does. Now what are we going to do about these two?" I said looking at an unconsicous Scourge and someone who looked like an evil Silver. No one was able to answer before a portal opened up. A pink hedgehog came out looking like a deranged version of Amy with a huge green hammer with spikes.

"They're coming with me." She said. "Scourge and him are going to have a nice, long chat with THE BUSINESS END OF MY HAMMER!" We all knew better than to cross this psycho, so we let her take them.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for them." Sonic commented. After that Sonic and Amy still got married and then ran off into the sunset together. But my day wasn't done yet. Another portal opened up as soon as the happy couple left. Out of this one came a skinny version of Eggman. No, I'm not kidding.

"Am I too late, did she already get them?" He asked all of us. I took the lead.

"Do you mean that pink hedgehog?" I asked.

"Yes, that rascal stole one of my machines that creates portals. Oh well, at least she'll rough them up a bit." He said. Then he realized something. "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Dr. Ivo Kintobor, hero of Moebius." All of us were shocked.

"Yeah, she just left like ten minutes ago." Silver finally said.

"Well drat. Okay, I'll be going then." But before he could something compelled me to stop him.

"Mephiles, what are you doing?" He asked me.

"I'm not Mephiles, my name is Shadow."

"Oh, you must be his counterpart, you look sort of similar. Sorry for the confusion."

"It's fine, but how do you know Mephiles?"

"He's one of my worst enemies. You've met him before?"

"Yeah, we defeated him and threw him to the edge of time."

"Uh, no you didn't. I just fought him yesterday." Then everything clicked for me.

"Silver, Blaze, I know why Mephiles looks like me. He's my Scourge. He must have dimension jumped in the future."

"That would explain a lot." Blaze said. then I had an idea.

"Ivo, do you have a way to capture Mephiles?" I asked.

"Yes I do in fact. I'm working on a way to capture him in this." He answered pulling out nothing other than the purple Chaos Emerald Mephiles used before.

"Guys, we totally just made fixing the future easier." I said to Silver and Blaze. Then I turned back to Kintobor. "Can you capture him and send him here in say about 80 years?"

"Maybe, but how am I going to live that long?" That's when Maria finally spoke up.

"You can transfer your mind into a robot body. It's what my cousin is doing and he's pretty much you but evil."

"Well, thanks Mary. He said hesitantly.

"Maria." She corrected him.

"Sorry. And also if it seems like I'm a bit nervous around you, it's because you're like the devil in my universe. They don't call her Bloody Mary for nothing."

"Oh, I sorta figured." Maria said.

"Hm, we should keep in touch." Kintobor said after that. He fiddled around in his pockets and produced a ring. "This ring can teleport you to my universe, but the user must have a connection to the Chaos Force. It's useless to me, but I'm sure some of you can use it." He handed it to me. "My door is always open. Then we went back into his portal.

"I wish he was my cousin." Maria said after a while.

"We all do Maria, we all do."


	28. Are We Dead?

**A/N- 200 reviews. Wow, I never thought this would be so popular.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 28

**Shadow POV**

There was a package at our front door the next morning. There was a note on it and I read it

_Hey, totally forgot to give you these after the wedding. These may or may not be of use, but I'm loaning you them so I can enjoy my honeymoon. Have fun being the hero for a few weeks. -Sonic_

I took the box inside and put it on the kitchen table.

"What's in the box?" Maria asked while flipping pancakes.

"I have an idea, but I haven't opened it yet." Maria came over to look and I opened the box. I was right.

"Sonic gave you the Chaos Emeralds?"

"And the Super Emeralds as well." Then there was a pause until Maria spoke up again.

"So you can turn all sparkly too?" She asked me curiously.

"I'm not sure about the sparkles actually, you want to test it out after breakfast?" I was curious myself.

"Okay, you want syrup on your pancakes Shady?"

"We still have some? Sure." So after some particularly tasty pancakes we went to the backyard with the Emeralds. "Okay, first I'll do what I know I can do." I took the Chaos Emeralds and attained my Super form easily.

"That's pretty awesome Shadow. And now we're the same color too." Maria said in awe.

"Yeah, I once Chaos Controlled an asteroid the size of a couple skyscrapers like this all by myself. And I can fly as well. You want to go for a ride?"

"I would love to, but maybe later. I want to see you all sparkly." She joked.

"Fine, hand me the other Emeralds." I said. She did and they started hovering around me. "Here goes nothing." I tapped into the Super Emerald's power, and then everything went white.

**Maria POV**

I knew something was wrong when Shadow didn't step out of the aura that was surrounding him. I decided to reach inside and grab him, but as soon as I touched his arm my vision went white and then black. When I came to I was laying on a stone pathway with Shadow sitting next to me.

"Where are we, are we dead?" I asked as he helped me to my feet.

"I don't think so, this place looks a lot like Angel Island but if there were more buildings."

"Maybe we time traveled again?" I postulated.

"Could be. Let's head for the Master Emerald shrine, I lost the other Emeralds and it's probably the only thing that could send us back."

"Lead the way." I said. So Shadow took my hand in his and we walked for what seemed like a few minutes until we reached the shrine. I could spot two figures standing at the top from where we stood. "Maybe they can help us."

"Maybe, but we should be careful nonetheless." We walked up the stone steps to the Master Emerald and the two figures got clearer. One was an orange echidna girl with some tribal looking clothes on and a blue blob that looked like an Artificial Chaos. They both turned to us as we reached the top.

"We've been waiting for you." The girl said. Okay, now I'm creeped out.

"Do I even know you?" Shadow asked confused.

"Not personally, but we've been watching over Sonic and his friends ever since we've been released from the Master Emerald. Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Tikal the Echidna and this is my friend Chaos, we are the guardians of the Chaos Force."

"Are we dead?" I asked again.

"No, not at all. The Emeralds just saw it fit for you two to meet us for some reason. Let's see why." And with that the Emeralds came to her and started lighting up. "Yes, that was funny. Hey, be nice, it was his first time. That's a good point." She said talking to them.

"What are they saying?" Shadow asked playing along with what was happening.

"Well, they told me that you tried to use the Super Emeralds. They brought you here because they wanted me to tell you that since they don't believe you're as pure-hearted as Sonic is yet that you can't use the Super Emeralds unless Maria is around to be a moral compass."

"They said all that?"

"Pretty much, and they think your plan to fix the future is a good one and will go along with it."

"Well, that's nice of them to say." I commented. "But when are we going to get back?"

"Oh, I can send you back whenever you like. Do you have any questions for me before I do?"

"Uh, yeah I do." Shadow said. "Is the Mephiles we sent to the edge of time still there?"

"Yes, he is. We're doing all we can to make sure he stays there too."

"Is your friend Chaos what my grandfather based his designs for Artificial Chaos on?" I asked. Tikal giggled at that.

"Yeah, those things were so cute, don't you agree?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I do. Do you want us to tell anybody back home anything?"

"Tell Sonic and Amy congratulations on their marriage and tell Knuckles I'm sorry it didn't work out between us. And tell him I'm happy for him and Rouge."

"Will do. You know, I feel more comfortable and safe knowing that you two guard the Chaos Force." I said truthfully.

"Me too." Shadow added.

"Thank you, both of you. That means a lot to me. Then Chaos whispered in her ear. "Oh, and Chaos wants to thank Sonic for calming him down that one time. Okay, I'll send you back now." She touched our heads and my vision went white again until we were back in our yard. It was night though, and Knuckles and Rouge were there.

"See, I told you this has happened before." Knuckles said still with a slight sniffle.

"How long have you guys been here?" Shadow asked.

"A couple hours. I was flying over because Knuckles needed some more medicine and I saw you both frozen in place and we've been watching over you guys." Rouge explained.

"Did you guys meet Tikal?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah, she said she was sorry how things ended between you two. What happened?"

"Nothing bad, she just had to leave. But I have Rouge now and I'm happy with that."

"Smart choice of words hon. I love you too. Well, we should leave and let you get back to whatever you were doing." And with that they left. Then Shadow turned to me.

"So, food or flying?"

"Can't we do both?"

"Good point. I'll get some fruit."


	29. Hyper Form Hullabaloo

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 29

**Shadow POV**

So, about a week later on April 1st I get a call from Knuckles who was just a bit stressed out. And by stressed I mean not able to understand what he said.

"Pull yourself together!" I said sternly. "Now tell me again what's going on more slowly this time."

"Eggman and his entire fleet are flying towards Angel Island as we speak. I can't get in contact with Sonic and we need help over here."

"And this isn't an April Fool's day joke Sonic set you up to pull on me?" He was about to answer when an explosion went off in the background.

"Does that sound like a joke to you?!"

"No. We'll be there in a few seconds." And I hung up and found Maria. "We have to get to Angel Island like right now."

"Why, what's happening? Is it Ivo?" She asked with a mix of concern and excitement.

"Yes, it's beginning again. Take my hand." She did. Now normally I couldn't teleport that far all at once, but I had all the Emeralds still. "CHAOS CONTROL!" I took us straight to the Master Emerald shrine where Knuckles and Rouge already were.

"That was quick." Knuckles said surprised.

"I said a few seconds. So what's the situation?"

"Just turn around." I did and saw thousands upon thousands of robots with Eggman in the lead in his Egg-O-Matic that had two mechanical arms. Brute force attack this time, that's different.

"You have a super form right Knuckles?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"Good. Okay, here's the plan. Knuckles and I will be the front line. Rouge and Maria, if any one of the robots get through destroy them. Do not let anything get to the Master Emerald, smash it if you have to."

"Yeah, because it will be sooo fun to find the shards a third time." Knuckles said sarcastically.

"Honey, there's no time for that kind of talk, we need to fight."

"Sorry, you're right. Let's do this Shadow." So I pulled out the Chaos Emeralds and we powered up. And Knuckles turned pink, literally.

"Not a word." Knuckles said to Rouge who was about to have a laughing fit. Then him and I flew off into the crowd of robots. We made short work of them and it seemed too easy.

"Knuckles, fall back, something is up." I said. We got back to the Master Emerald and saw Eggman with two robots at his side. They had Maria and Rouge captured as well.

"I was wondering when you two would show up." Eggman said bored. "Well, let's cut to the chase, I want that Master Emerald."

"Not gonna happen!" Knuckles yelled.

"Tough words from someone about to die. And whose pink. And you also seem to forget I have both of your girlfriends."

"No you don't." I said matter-of-factly as I quickly saved them. I love Chaos Control. Not as much as Maria though. Eggman wasn't phased though.

"No matter, I've planned for this occasion, so I brought back up." Then two other robots came down. One I automatically recognized as Metal Sonic, the other looked like a Shadow Android but different. "Let me introduce my newest creation. You see, after you left me after your fight with Mephiles and before G.U.N. caught me, I actually obtained some of that purple goop he created. I tested it and found it was made of pure Chaos Energy. So, I decided to infuse the goop with one of my Shadow Androids and this was the result. I call him Metalis and the best part is if he betrays me, my body is still on Prison Island!" The he started chuckling for no reason.

"I'll take the Mephiles looking one, you three get Metal." I said as I flew towards, and I can't belive I'm calling it this, Metalis. I launched him up into the air but he recovered with his rocket shoes. He came up to me and punched me, but it didn't hurt much. "This one isn't anything special." I said. Then I threw about three or four Chaos Spears because I thought it would destroy it. But when the dust cleared he was still there.

"What was that, a piece of paper?" Came Eggman's voice from the robot. Then it dashed at me. I dodged but it scratched my arm, and it started bleeding. "I forgot to tell you, Metalis can absorb Chaos Energy and become stronger from it. That's a useful feature for fighting someone who uses that energy to fight isn't it?" He really has a problem with showing his hand. Now I know how to defeat it, overwhelm it's battery or whatever. So I kept pelting it with Energy shots, but it wasn't enough. Metalis eventually hit me so hard I landed right next to Maria

"Shadow, are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, but I'm going to have to pull out all the stops on this guy." I was next to Maria so I used the Super Emeralds. I was instantly healed and I flew up behind Metalis. I channeled my inner Mephiles and shot a beam of light out of my hand. It reflected off his body and he turned around. He started teleporting around me punching me and I was about to pass out when something knocked him away from me. Metalis was surrounded by a light blue aura and was struggling against it.

"Sorry I'm late, we were at the hospital for a check up." Silver said.

"Thanks for the save." I said back. Then I had a moment of clarity and knew what I had to do. "Silver, after I teleport, go down and create a shield to protect everyone."

"What are you going to do?"

"Save the day." I took off all four of my inhibitor rings and grabbed Metalis. "CHAOS CONTROL!"

**Maria POV**

As I saw Shadow's inhibitor rings fall down and land on the Master Emerald shrine, Silver came down and shielded us with his powers. We had already defeated the robot that looked like Sonic and captured Ivo's robot body. Then we all saw a huge red blast that was brighter than the sun.

"That was a Chaos Blast wasn't it?" I asked.

"I think so." Silver answered. "Can he survive that far of a fall though, because I think he's unconscious."

"He fell all the way from the ARK once, but I'll catch him." Rouge said flying off. She brought him to the shrine, but something was wrong. I grabbed his rings and ran over to him.

"Maria." He said softly. "My rings."

"I know Shadow." I said as I tried to put them on, but they just phased through his body. "It's not working."

"What's going on?" Silver asked.

"I don't know, his body is just fading away!" I had no idea how to stop it either.

"Maria," Shadow's voice was getting weaker, "I'm sor-sorry."

"No Shadow! Don't say that, you're going to be fine."

"I love you Mari-" He got out before he faded out of existence. My first reaction wasn't sadness, it was rage. Pure, uncontrollable rage. I picked up Ivo's robot body and pinned it on one of the pillars around us.

"YOU KILLED HIM! You worthless waste of space! You better hope I never see you again or this will happen for real!" And with that I punched its face and my fist went right through it and the pillar behind it. Then I fell to my knees and started crying. All I had left were Shadow's rings, gloves, and shoes. Someone put their hand on my shoulder and I lashed out by hitting something as hard as I could without looking. Then from out of nowhere something fell on me. I rolled over and saw it was Shadow!

"Wha-What?" He said slowly. "Where am I now?"

"You're here with me!" I said giving him a huge hug. Then I looked over and saw the Master Emerald in pieces. "Did I do that?"

"Yeah, and that's when he fell on you." Knuckles said. "What happened?"

"All I remember is being back with Tikal and Chaos. She was explaining to me that I was saved by the Master Emerald, but then I whited out. I think I might have used too much energy with that Chaos Blast and the Master Emerald absorbed my essence to save me. Maybe breaking it released me?"

"That's the same way Tikal and Chaos we're released, so it makes sense." Knuckles replied.

"Whatever, I've learned my lesson. Inhibitor rings stay on in Hyper form." Then he looked over to Ivo's robot. "What the hell happened there?"

"I was mad and smashed his face in." I said simply.

"You know, that's probably the same thing I would have done. We are so perfect for each other."

"Yeah." I agreed. Then I realized something. "And I thought I told you to stop almost killing yourself! I ought to-" I didn't get the rest out because Shadow kissed me. Oh well, I can be mad at him later.


	30. Banking Blood

**A/N- Me: Chapter 30, WOOT! And I finished writing the story yesterday, Double WOOT! And I got a subscription to the comics...**

**Shadow: If you say Triple WOOT! I'm going to hurt you.**

**Me: I don't have to, you already did.**

**Shadow: -facepalm-**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 30

**Maria POV**

For the next week Shadow was acting very strange. He kept coming home late from work and when he did get home he was always a bit dizzy and had a bandage on his arm. And when I asked him about it... well just listen.

"Shadow, I'm worried about you." I said one night before we fell asleep.

"What about?"

"Well, you've been coming home late a lot recently and when you do get home you act like you're sick. And then there are all those bandages you keep having me heal the scars under."

"It's nothing. I've just been a bit clumsy lately that's all. And there's been a lot of traffic to and from work lately. I promise I'm not doing anything to hurt you." I didn't think he was cheating on me, he's not like that. But I knew he was lying. I mean come on, Shadow being clumsy. Yeah right. I didn't let on that I thought that though.

"Okay, I was just worried like I said. I care for you a lot and want you to be at your best."

"I know Maria, and that's why I love you." Then he gave me a peck on the cheek and wrapped his arms around me. "Goodnight Maria."

"Goodnight Shadow." Before I fell asleep I had a thought. I probably wouldn't be able to spy on Shadow without him finding out, but I know some people who can.

**Espio POV**

On the morning of April 10th I was sitting at my desk at the detective agency. I was sharpening my ninja stars since business was slow. I was the only one there too since Charmy was off getting a pizza and Vector was out buying an engagement ring. I heard we were probably disbanding after the wedding, so I'm probably going to work for G.U.N after that unless a better opportunity shows up. Anyway, at about 11, Maria Robotnik walked through the door. I wonder why she's here.

"Hello, and welcome to the Chaotix Detective Agency. Espio the Chameleon at your service." I greeted her. Yeah, we had met before, but only once or twice and we didn't talk to each other.

"Hi." She said nervously. Then there was an awkward pause.

"Can I help you?" I prodded.

"Uh yeah, I just don't know how this works."

"Basically, you tell me what you want to find out and I tell you if I can do it or not."

"Okay. I need you to find out where Shadow is going after work. He's been acting strange lately."

"Hm, it'll be tough, but I think I can do it. Any other clues you can give me?"

"Well, I know he's not cheating on me. And when he comes home he acts a little sick and has a bandage on his arm."

"Hm, interesting. I'll get to work right away."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"We send our bills in the mail. It's usually 50 rings plus expenditures." She agreed to the terms and left. I guess the pizza could wait. I left a note for the others and headed out. I sort of knew Shadow's work schedule because he talked about it some to me after Silver and Blaze's wedding. So I camped out behind some bushes near the castle. After a while I saw Shadow ride out of the garage on his motorcycle. I threw a ninja star with a tracking device onto it since I couldn't run as fast as it. I jumped between trees in pursuit until I hit Station Square which is when I started using buildings. I spotted the motorcycle parked outside the hospital. What was Shadow doing there? I dropped down to street level and made it look like I was just passing by when he came out.

"Hey Shadow, what are you doing here at the hospital?" I asked him casually. He paused before answering.

"I was just giving blood. Got the free donut and everything." He said showing me said donut.

"Is that safe with you being part alien and all?"

"Doctor said it was fine."

"Okay then. That's a good thing you did."

"Thank you." He said and I walked away. Well, he did give blood, but not for other people because that part about the doctor saying it was fine was a lie.

**Shadow POV**

I was immediately cornered by Maria when I walked through the door after work.

"I am very upset at you for lying to me! All you had to say was you were giving blood and that would have been fine. Why did you feel the need to lie about that?!"

"Because I didn't want you to worry about me more than you had to." I said pushing her off me some.

"Why would I be worried?"

"Think about it Maria. Could I really give blood to normal people? The answer is no. I was doing it for you." I explained.

"What?" Maria asked taken aback.

"Last week really got to me. If I die in some dumb way I want you to live as long as you can. My blood can help out with that because my DNA heals yours." Maria blinked a few times and I saw a tear roll down her face. I immediately embraced her in a hug. "I'm sorry I made you upset, but I had my reasons."

"I guess I understand, I just wish you would have told me the truth in the first place."

"That's my bad then. I promise to not do anything like that again. By the way, how did you find out anyway? I didn't tell anybody other than..." Then it hit me. "Espio."

"Yeah, I hired him to find out what you were doing."

"Well, he did a good job, I'll say that. And now that the cat's out of the bag I might as well show you something." I said leading her into the kitchen. I uncovered a hidden button and pushed it revealing a hand scanner. "Take off your glove and place in on the scanner." I told Maria.

"Okay." And she did so.

_Handprint confirmed. User identified as Maria Robotnik. Access granted._

And then the wall right next to the refrigerator revolved to reveal another refrigerator. I opened it up to reveal all the stored up blood I had.

"It's a state of the art cryogenic cooling system so it should stay good for a long time."

"You really do love me this much don't you?" Maria asked in awe.

"Yes I do. I mean I hope it never has to be used, but there it is."

"All I can say is thank you."

"You're welcome. Now let's go do something more positive. What do you want to do?" Maria got up close to me and grinned.

"How about some make-up sex?" She whispered into my ear.

"I like the way you think."


	31. A Little Halloween Surprise

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 31

**Maria POV**

"Shadow! Are you almost done? Our guests are about to arrive!" I called down the hall. It was Halloween night and we were hosting a party since Shadow said it was technically his turn to host it this year. But he let me pick the theme, and I chose the theme of opposites. So to decorate I made half the house dark and the other half light.

"Yeah, I'm just having trouble keeping these glasses together." Shadow said coming into the living room.

"Well, you didn't have to break them for real." As part of the whole opposite thing I was dressed up as a cheerleader and Shadow was a nerd with taped up glasses and a pocket protector.

"It was an accident. And I have to say, you did a wonderful job decorating the house." Shadow said looking around. I gave him a hug and he looked at me. "You also look very hot in that costume."

"Well, it was Amy's, but I'll take the complement anyway." I said partially blushing. I was about to kiss him as well, but the doorbell rang instead. I walked to the door and opened it to reveal Tails and Cream. "Hey, glad you two could make it. What are you dressed as?" I asked.

"I'm an old west sheriff." Cream said showing me her badge.

"And I'm the outlaw she's trying to catch." Tails added.

"I see Knuckles let you borrow his cowboy hat." Shadow said coming up behind me. Then they both burst out laughing. "Yes, I know my costume is hilarious. Now come inside, it must be cold out there." So they did. A few minutes later the doorbell rang again, but there was nobody there. Then a caped figure dropped from the sky.

"I'm Batman!" The person said. Then he raised his head to reveal that it was Knuckles. Then Rouge repelled down next to him on a whip. She was wearing an all black, skin-tight suit that even covered her ears and a pair of yellow goggles.

"And I take it your Catwoman Rouge?" I asked.

"Uh-huh, kinda suits me if I say so myself."

"Not to mention how good she looks in it." Knuckles added looking her over.

"That too." Rouge agreed. Then they went inside as well. The next people to show up were Sonic and Amy, but I didn't think that at first because they were dressed as their evil counterparts.

"Shadow! Help!" I yelled as I was about to punch Sonic in the face. Luckily for him Shadow caught me as I pulled my arm back.

"Don't worry, it's just Sonic and Amy. They told me they were dressing up like that." Shadow told me.

"You just wanted to see if she'd hit me, didn't you Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"Maybe." He said grinning.

"I almost did, those costumes are very realistic. But when I said opposite I meant opposite from each other."

"Oh, sorry." Sonic said scratching the back of his head.

"But, if you think about it, we are opposite. Sonic and I are in love with other which means they probably hate each other's guts." Amy chimed in.

"That's a good point Amy, come on inside." I said in response. The last two to arrive were Silver and Blaze and they were both dressed as cave people.

"Before you say anything," Silver started, "we tried to think of some good opposites but couldn't. So we decided to dress as something that we're both opposite than. We're from the future, so the opposite of us is cave people."

"He was worrying about this all week." Blaze added. She was due in a week or two and I was surprised they came at all.

"It's fine, Sonic and Amy did something different as well. Are you sure you're okay being here Blaze?"

"I'll be fine I think. I just need to take it slow, you know?"

"I understand, come inside."

**Shadow POV**

I never thought I would be spending Halloween night at the hospital in a nerd costume. Yeah, tonight has been a bit hectic. It all started after we had bobbed for apples. Blaze decided not to because of the baby and while the rest of us bobbed she headed for the bathroom. Silver's turn was last and after it we heard Blaze coming down the hall.

"Silver, it's time! The baby is coming!" She sort of yelled/groaned.

"Now?!" Silver asked eyes wide. "But we're nowhere close to any hospital!"

"Well, he's coming, hospital or not!" Blaze said before clutching her stomach in pain. Silver helped her stand up.

"Anybody got any ideas?" He asked us. I didn't but apparently Amy did.

"Sonic could run her to the hospital." She proposed.

"No I couldn't. The deceleration would hurt the baby." That's when I remembered I had the Chaos Emeralds.

"I'll Chaos Control them there." I said. They agreed and I took their hands. "CHAOS CONTROL!" We got to the hospital a second later to the surprise of a few nurses and patients. "You two go, I'll get everyone else."

"I can't thank you enough man." Silver said.

"Me either, ooooh!" Blaze groaned again.

"Go, get her a room!" I ordered and they went. In the next few minutes I brought everyone else to the hospital and that's where we all are. About an hour later Silver came out into the waiting room. He was smiling so we knew it was okay.

"I'm a father guys!" He said excitedly. We all got up and congratulated him. "You guys can come in and see him, but the doctor said only two at a time."

"Sonic and Amy should go first." I said. "They technically are family."

"Aw, that's nice of you to say Shadow." Amy said to me beaming. Maria and I were the last ones to see the baby.

"What's his name?" Maria asked as Blaze let her hold him.

"His name is Iggy." Silver said. "It's a play on the Latin for fire since he looks more like Blaze than me." He was right, the kid was mostly lavender but the tips of his fur were white.

"He's really cute." Maria said smiling at the child who smiled back.

"I have to admit he's cute as well." I added. Then a doctor knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry to break this up, but we need to run a few more tests still." So Maria and I walked back to the waiting room.

"Shadow?" Maria asked along the way.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ever going to want to have kids?"

"It depends, it would have to be with the right person." I said turning to face Maria. "But I would wait until I was married."

"Oh, me too. I'm not being like those reality shows."

"Like our lives aren't like that anyway?" I joked.

"True. So, would I be one of those right people you would have a kid with?"

"You're probably the only right person for me." I said holding her close to me.

"Aw Shady, you're making me blush." Then there was a pause. "I love you."

"I love you too Maria. How'd you like your first Halloween on Mobius?"

"No one better be pregnant next year." She deadpanned. She couldn't hold the face though and we both laughed all the way down the hall.


	32. Christmas Miracles

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 32

**Shadow POV**

"Did you remember to get your gift?" Maria asked me as we walked up to Silver and Blaze's house. It's Christmas night and we were going to a party there. We all decided to have it at their house since they had they baby and could take care of it better there.

"Of course. Do you have yours? It's kinda hard to buy things for Sonic." Last week we had all picked out who we were getting presents for out of a hat. Maria got Sonic and I got Iggy. Yeah, I got the almost 2 month old baby.

"Yeah, it's kinda obvious, but he'll like it." Maria answered while knocking on the door. By all the footprints in the snow it looked like we were one of the last ones there. When Silver opened the door I saw I was right.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it." He said a bit tired.

"Silver, are you okay?" I asked as I helped him stand up straighter.

"I'm fine. It's just that having a kid can take it out of you sometimes. But I wouldn't trade it for the world." He explained. "Come on inside, after the rest of our guests get here we're going to exchange gifts." So we took a step inside but were stopped by a floating piece of mistletoe.

"What in the world?" Maria asked. Then Tails' voice came from the plant.

"It's mistletoe Maria. I've been floating this around the house all night with one of my nano-propellors. You're supposed to kiss under it."

"Like I need an excuse to kiss Shadow." Maria said before planting a delicate kiss on my lips. After that I looked to see who all was there, and there was a lot of people. Along with Silver, Blaze, and Iggy there was Sonic, Amy, Tails, Cream, the Chaotix, Knuckles and Rouge. Even Vanilla and Omega were there. Then even more people came in.

"What up?! Manic in the house!" Manic called out as he came in.

"Manny, calm down. There's a baby here." Sally sort of scolded him.

"Sorry Sal. Hey look, mistletoe." Manic said giving her a quick kiss on the lips. After them were Sonia and Mighty. Three pairs of eyes went wide when they saw Mighty.

"Guys look! It's Mighty!" Charmy said making, and I have no other way to put this, a beeline towards him. He gave him a huge hug as Vector and Espio walked towards him.

"Where have you been man? It took me forever to find you." Vector asked after Charmy's hug.

"Oh you know, here and there with my girlfriend Sonia's band." Mighty responded calmly. Then it was Espio's turn.

"Listen, what I said all those years ago, I didn't mean it. I was young and speaking out of my ass. Can you forgive me?"

"That's why I came, I've been gone for too long. That and Vector said he needed to tell me something face to face. So, what's up?"

"Well, you may not have heard, but I'm retiring from detective work. And I thought I would hand over the reigns of the agency to you." Vector said giving him a set of keys.

"That's a surprise. Why not Espio though?" Mighty asked confused.

"I'm not a good leader, we agreed that you would do better than me." Espio answered.

"Wow, I don't know what to say other than thanks. But why are you retiring in the first place Vector?"

"Well, that's a different thing entirely." Vector said pulling out a black box. "Wish me luck." He said as he walked towards Vanilla. He brought her into the living room so everyone could see.

"Vector, honey, what's going on? Why'd you want to bring me in here?" Vanilla asked him.

"Because of this." Vector answered getting down on one knee and showing her the ring. "You are the sweetest person I have ever met and you fill a void in my heart that I didn't know I even had. I don't know how to live without you anymore and I promise to take care of you and Cream to the best of my ability. I guess what I'm asking is, will you marry me?" Who knew he could be so wordy? Anyway, he got his answer in th form of a hug around his neck.

"Of course I will. I was wondering when you would ask."

"Well, I had to get my affairs in order first, like getting a less dangerous job. I didn't want you to have to worry about me."

"That's very thoughtful of you then." Vanilla said giving him a peck on the cheek. Then Cream came up and hugged them both.

"I'm happy for you both, and me too since now I have even more family."

**Maria POV**

After everyone had calmed down after Vector's proposal, we started giving out our gifts. I saw Shadow hand Silver his gift for Iggy.

"I know he probably can't use them now," I heard him say, "but he'll grow into them." Silver opened the box and removed a pair of sunglasses.

"I'm sure he would thank you if he could. And here's my gift to you." Silver said handing him a card. "Sonic told me you were sort of looking so I thought this might help." Hm, looking for what?

"Thanks, this will help." After that I went to give Sonic his gift. He was talking and joking with Amy when I tapped his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Maria. What's up?" He asked turning around.

"Well, I'm the one who has your present, so here." I said handing him an envelope. In it was a gift card for free chili dogs for a year.

"Wow, thank you Maria, this is great!" He said giving me a small hug. Then Amy came up next to him.

"And I have your gift Maria." She said handing me a box. I opened it to find a copy of Around the World in 80 Days.

"This was my favorite book back on the ARK. How did you know?"

"Because I'm awesome like that." She joked and giggled. "But seriously, Shadow told me."

"I should have known." After that we all sang some songs and ate the dinner that Vanilla and Amy cooked up. Soon after that we had to leave. "So, what did you get from Silver?" I asked Shadow as we were getting ready for bed.

"A gift card to the jewelry store in the mall."

"Ooh, so he pretty much gave me a gift too."

"How do you know I'm not going to get my ear pierced or anything?" Shadow joked.

"Because I know you too well." I whispered into his ear. "Just like you told Amy what to get me."

"Well it's times like those when having a good memory comes in handy." He whispered back.

"You want to make some memories right now?" I asked tracing my hand down his body.

"I thought you'd never ask." Merry Christmas to me.


	33. Shadow Thinks Inside The Box

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 33

**Shadow POV**

And so, that's how I got into this box getting ready to propose to Maria. I guess the only other thing that happened before this was my trip to the jewelry store last week. I asked Sonic to come with me because he had done this before. So after we got some lunch we headed to the jewelry store. The guy running the store looked so much like Antoine, but Sonic assured me it wasn't. He had the French accent though.

"Welcome to ze store, 'ow may I be of assistance?" He asked as we walked into the store.

"I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend, can you help me with that?" I asked back.

"Ah, but of course Monsieur 'edgehog, I would be 'appy to 'elp." What is it with French accents and h's? "Do you 'ave any sort of price range you are working with?"

"I've got about a thousand rings, give or take a few." What can I say, bodyguard work pays very well.

"Then you might want to look at these." The jeweler said moving is to a display case to the left side of the store. "Forgive me Monsieurs, but I must leave you for a moment." He said leaving Sonic and I there as he answered the phone that was ringing.

"You see anything that screams 'Maria would love this.' yet?" Sonic asked after about a minute or two.

"I'm thinking that one," I said pointing to one in the middle, "but I don't want the ring part to be gold because it would blend into her hand."

"That looks like a keeper to me as well. I'm sure if you ask the jeweler he could make the ring part white gold or something."

"You're probably right, let's go find him." But right then, a robber came into the store.

"This is a robbery! Stick you hands up and give me your stuff and nobody gets hurt!" Sonic and I just chuckled to ourselves.

"You want to get him or should I?" I asked him.

"Let me take him, I haven't done much hero stuff in a while." And with that Sonic started running around in circles around the guy faster and faster. He was trying to cut his air supply off so he would faint, and it worked. The jeweler then came out from behind the counter and thanked him.

"Oi, how could I 'ave been so blind as not to see you are Monsieur Sonic ze 'edgehog?!"

"It was nothing." Sonic said cooly.

"For you maybe. But I must reward you for that show of bravery."

"That's not necessary, I'm a hero, it's my job." Sonic said trying to refuse.

"Nonsense." The jeweler said. He finally convinced Sonic to take a necklace that he could give to Amy as a present. Then I paid for Maria's ring, the white gold cost 50 extra rings but it was worth it, and we left the store. And ran straight into Maria. I quickly dropped the ring box into Sonic's bag before Maria saw it.

"Hey Shady." She said giving me a hug. Then she looked at the store we just exited. "What were you and Sonic doing at the jewelry store?"

"I was getting a present for Amy." Sonic said quickly pulling out the necklace.

"And I was helping him out since he found me in the food court." I added.

"It sure is pretty. She'll love it Sonic. Well, I'm shopping for some new clothes so I'll be home later Shadow."

"Ooh, I can't wait to see what you get. See you later." I said giving her a peck on the cheek. She left and I took the ring box back out of Sonic's bag.

"That was close." Sonic said.

"That's an understatement." I said back. And that's what happened with that. Wait a second, I hear footsteps coming down the hall. She's coming, I better get ready.

**Maria POV**

Whew, what a party! Too bad Shadow wasn't there with me. Work called and he said they needed him to come in to train a new recruit. He said he would give me his present later though. The last people to leave were Sonic and Amy and before they left they wanted to talk to me.

"Sorry about Manic breaking both of your guy's lamps." Sonic started. "I'll make sure he gets you new ones."

"It's fine, they were old anyway. At least that's what Shadow told me."

"Speaking of him, how are you two doing?" Amy asked.

"Really good. Thought I do wonder what his present to me will me."

"Tee, hee." Amy giggled while Sonic grinned wide.

"What?" I asked her.

"I can't tell you. But I'm sure you'll love it."

"Me too." Sonic added. "But we've tortured and imposed on you enough. And we have a doctor's appointment anyway, so we'll be going."

"Okay, see you later. And I hope the baby is healthy too." Amy found out she was pregnant about two months ago and her and Sonic couldn't be happier. So after they left I tidied up some and ate another piece of cake. Then I gathered up all the presents my friends gave me and headed for the bedroom. After I put them down to clear my vision I saw a huge box at the head of the bed wrapped like a present. I walked over to it and the note on it said, 'From: Shadow, To: The most amazing woman in the word, AKA Maria.' I giggled at that and untied the bow. As soon as I did the box fell apart to reveal Shadow down on one knee with a ring in his hand.

"Shadow?" I asked in wonder.

"I know I said I was at work, but I lied. I've been hiding in this box for 3 hours in preparation. Maria, my present to you is me. I can't live without you anymore and I want to be with you forever. You are the only one for me and I love you so much it hurts sometimes. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Remember when I said going to the concert was the best present ever? Well, it's not anymore. I immediately tackled Shadow to the ground in a hug.

"Of course I will. I love you that much too. Wait a second, you were buying the ring with Sonic weren't you?"

"Guilty as charged. Do you like it?" I was made of white gold and had a diamond surrounded by two smaller diamonds.

"It's wonderful Shadow, and it doesn't blend into my hand."

"I thought you would like that."

"How long have you been planning this, and did you tell anyone other than Sonic and Amy?"

"Since about Christmas, and no. I thought that you would want to tell everyone. Are you going to tell your cousin?"

"Well, knowing him, he'll find out on his own. But he won't come to the wedding, I made sure of that, hopefully."

"Okay then, I just have one last question for you."

"And that would be?"

"Are you going to give your new fiancée a kiss or not?" Oh, Shady.

"If I must." I joked while rolling my eyes. Then I gave him a long, lingering kiss that turned into a passionate French kissing session. "I love you Shady, even more now than before." I said eventually.

"And I love you Maria. Do you think we're ready for this?"

"Totally, we have each other and we are a great team. And we're in love, so that helps."

"So, you want to go somewhere for dinner to celebrate?"

"Sure, but I want to tell everyone first."


	34. A Very Shadria Wedding

**A/N- Important information at the bottom that you should read after the chapter.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 34

**Maria POV**

The night before my wedding I decided to spend the night with Sonic and Amy and their new baby girl Samantha, Sammy for short. We decided to have the wedding after she was born so we wouldn't have a repeat of Halloween night.

"See you tomorrow, hopefully." I told Shadow before I left.

"Well, I'll tell you that my feet are very warm. I promise I will be there tomorrow. But, if you're still worried, I can do this." And he leaned in and kissed me.

"That does make me feel better Shady, thank you. Okay, I'm going to go now. I love you."

"I love you too. Now go, I'm sure Sonic and Amy are waiting for you." So with that I left. I decided to walk because the sound of Shadow's motorcycle would disturb the baby. I knocked on the door and Amy opened it.

"Hi Maria." She greeted me cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm getting married tomorrow." I joked. "So pretty good all in all. I brought a fruit salad that I made fresh today." I said showing it.

"It looks delicious Maria, come on inside." I walked in and placed the salad on the table and put my sleeping bag down as well.

"Where's Sonic?" I asked looking around.

"He's running to the store to get some supplies while the baby is asleep." Amy explained. And right then Sonic came in with enough bags to feed an entire army. I mean, he couldn't even see two steps in front of himself.

"Amy, I'm home. I couldn't get everything on the list but I did stop by Silver and Blaze's house to get some board games for when Maria comes over." He said. Then he put the bags down and saw me. "Oh, hi Maria. I didn't see you there."

"It's okay. What is all that stuff anyway?"

"Oh you know, baby food, diapers, stuff to baby-proof the house." Sonic said as Amy came over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for going out and doing that Sonikku."

"You're welcome Ames." And then there was another knock on the door. "I'll get it."

"You guys invited someone else?" I asked Amy a bit curious as to who it would be.

"Yeah, we needed someone to take care of Samantha during the wedding if we were going to be in it. So Sonic called the best person he knew for taking care of babies." After that Sonic came back with a slightly taller, magenta hedgehog.

"Maria, I would like you to meet my mother Aleena." Sonic said coming over. I shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you." I said to her.

"Same to you, I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?"

"My mom likes to know what's going on, what can I say?" Sonic said. After that we all settled down and had some fun talking and playing games. At one point though the baby started crying and Amy brought her into the living room. She's also magenta like Sonic's mother and was wrapped up in a blue blanket.

"I think she's hungry." Amy said checking the baby out. "You guys don't mind if I nurse her out here do you? I'll cover myself up."

"It's fine with me." I replied.

"It's okay with me as well, but I must ask if you have some bottles stored up for tomorrow." Sonic's mother added.

"Already on top of it mom. There are ten in the refrigerator right now and we have a cooler full of ice packs as well."

"Good planing son. You too Amy."

"Thanks mom." While that whole conversation went on a question was nagging at the back of my mind.

"How does it feel?" I asked turning to Amy.

"Like someone is sucking on your chest." I mentally slapped myself for not being more specific.

"No, I mean how does it feel to be a mother?" Amy took a second to think about it.

"Well, it's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it when she smiles and giggles at us. And the thought that she's part of both me and Sonic makes me feel all fuzzy inside."

"I couldn't have put it better myself Ames." Sonic said putting his arm around her. I wonder if Shadow and I will ever be like that.

**Shadow POV**

When I woke up on the day of the wedding someone was in my room.

"You have to the count of 10 to identify yourself before I blow your head off, and I count by 5.

"Calm down hon, it's just me." I heard Rouge say.

"I am present as well." Omega chimed in. "We are here to make sure you arrive safely to the wedding."

"And here I thought I was going to enjoy my last morning as a bachelor alone. You want some breakfast?"

"You don't have to do that for us." Rouge said.

"Nonsense, you two are guests in my house, I should be nice. Omega, I have an outlet out back you can hook yourself into."

"Thank you, but I am at 95% power at the moment and don't need to recharge at this time."

"Okay then." So I went to the kitchen and made some pancakes for me and Rouge.

"Hey, since when could you cook so well?" Rouge asked between bites.

"Maria has been helping me out some. You and Knuckles should come over for dinner sometime, my spaghetti is at least two and a half times better than before."

"I might have to take you up on that." And so, after breakfast we headed out to the wedding location. We were having it outside right by a beautiful lake. I got to the changing room and Sonic, Silver, and Knuckles were already there.

"Is everything running smoothly?" I asked them.

"You bet." Sonic said. "No signs of Egghead, Mephiles, or Scourge and the kids are asleep at the moment."

"And Blaze said that Maria is feeling good too." Silver added. So, we got dressed in our tuxedos and got ready for the wedding to start. I didn't watch, but I knew my turn was after Silver and Blaze. The music got to the appropriate part and I walked down the aisle by myself. The weather was perfect and so was the day. I got up to the podium and waited for Maria. And I just have to say 'Wow.' I think my jaw dropped a little at how beautiful she looked in her long, flowing dress that fit her perfectly. Eventually she was right next to me. Her face was beaming through the veil. But we didn't have time to stare.

"Welcome friends and family, old and new." Espio began. "We are gathered here today to join together two very special people, Shadow the Hedgehog and Maria Robotnik, in holy matrimony." He's good at not saying the exact same thing every time, I like that. "If anyone has any reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." Now, instead of someone busting down the door, because there wasn't one, Bokkun floated down with a TV in his hands. I immediately pointed my laser-sighted gun straight at his head. But then I noticed there were two dots focused on him. I looked over to see Maria doing the same exact thing I was.

"What? No one, not even my cousin, is going to ruin this day for me." She explained after looking at my expression.

"Do you know how hot you are looking to me right now?" I asked and she giggled. Then she pointed her gun back at Bokkun.

"Don't shoot, Don't shoot!" Bokkun yelled. "I'm just the messenger." Then the TV came on and showed Eggman from his cell on Prison Island.

"What do you want?" I asked annoyed.

"Well, since I wasn't invited, I thought I would crash the wedding. I may not agree with this union, but Maria is family." Eggman answered

"Fine." Maria said. "But you know what I said before? Try anything and that happens." So Bokkun flew to the back and sat down. Then Espio continued.

"Okay, do you two have any vows?" We nodded and I went first.

"Maria, what can I say? I love you more than anything, even my own life. I promise to love and protect you for as long as I live because you are worth it. And I will spend every day trying to make you smile, that's all I will ever need." All the girls were tearing up at that, but it's true. I do love Maria that much. After everyone calmed down, Maria spoke her vows.

"Shadow, I can't live without you. And it's not just because you were designed to cure me and help me live longer. I can't imagine us not being together and I don't ever want to. I promise to always be there for you whether you are sad or happy or anything in between and I will love you with everything I have. You may be the Ultimate Lifeform but I'm going to be the Ultimate Wife." She is so, so, amazing is all I can say. After that the rings were given to us and we put them on each other's hands. Then Espio started to talk again.

"Shadow, do you take Maria to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." I said confidently.

"Maria, do you take Shadow to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, in good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the planet of Mobius, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." I lifted up Maria's veil and kissed her while tipping her back some.

"I love you Maria. I know it's kinda obvious because of where we are, but I had to say it again."

"Well, if you weren't going to I was. Oh, the heck with it, I love you too." And we were so caught up in each other that we barely heard all the clapping.

**A/N- So for all intents and purposes this is the end of the main part of the story. What comes next is a series of epilogue chapters that show far off things I wanted to show about the cast of the stories lives and to tie up all the loose plot threads between this and_ The Blue Blur Slows Down_ because I'm so anal about stuff like that. There are 7 epilogue chapters, the first one will be by itself and then I'll be doing two at a time since they are kinda short. I think that's it for now and all the thank you's and stuff will be in the last chapter as always. Thanks for reading this block of text and the story as a whole and have a great Friday!  
**


	35. Epilogue Part 1- 2 Years Later

**A/N- Just a head's up, the time given in each chapter of the epilogue is relative to the previous chapter. So this chapter is 2 years after chapter 34 and the next chapter will be x amount of time after this one. Just trying to get that out there so no one gets confused. **

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 35

**Maria POV**

Pancakes are a very good thing to wake up smelling to. But, I didn't fall asleep in the kitchen did I? I opened my eyes to see my wonderful husband Shadow holding a tray of food that indeed had pancakes along with other breakfast food.

"Happy anniversary Maria." He said with a warm smile. He placed the tray of food on my lap and sat down next to me on the bed.

"So I guess this is going to be a thing we do each year?" I asked referencing the breakfast.

"Hey, why not? You did it last year and I did it this year. I like the idea that we can just switch off each year."

"I like that idea too. And you even put berries in the pancakes. I love you Shadow." I said giving him a hug.

"I love you too Maria. Oh, by the way, there's something special under the napkin." I was intrigued so I looked under it to see a lone silver key.

"We got the house?" I asked excitedly.

"Yep, now we'll have plenty of space for when you eventually get pregnant." We've been trying for three months with no success. That is until what I found out last night.

"About that I-" I was about to tell Shadow, but the phone rang.

"Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Shadow said getting up and leaving the room. After a minute I started feeling really sick. I got out of bed and ran into the bathroom. I threw up a couple times and Shadow came in and helped hold some of my spines out of my face. "Are you okay Maria?" He asked worried.

"I'm fine." I said somewhat weakly. "Who was on the phone?"

"It was Tails, he said he found something weird that pertained to us. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"What were you going to say earlier?"

"I'll tell you later, let's go see what Tails has for us."

"Do you need me to kiss you?"

"You can, but I don't think it will work so well this time."

**Shadow POV**

That was very weird. One second Maria was fine, then she was sick, and then she was fine again. My gut says she's pregnant, which would be great. Maybe she wanted to wait until we heard the weird thing Tails supposedly needed to tell us right away? Well, at any rate, we got to Tails' workshop at about 10.

"Hey, glad you could make it here so soon." Tails greeted us. He was completely bombed out tired and had huge bags under his eyes.

"Are you feeling okay Tails?" Maria asked him.

"Oh, yeah. I just got some stressful news last night."

"You want to talk about it?" Maria asked putting her hand on his shoulder. She must have used her healing powers because he perked up a bit.

"No, it's kinda personal. But thanks anyway. Come on inside and I'll show you the thing." We walked in and sat down at a table. One thing that caught my eye was that Cosmo's plant was about as tall as me. Anyway, Tails came back with some drinks and a book. "So, this all started when Cream gave me an early birthday present. It was this book." He said showing it to us.

"Fahrenheit 451, good choice." I commented.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites, and it's a first edition to boot. But when I started inspecting it to see what kind of condition it was in I found this." Tails said handing me a beat up photograph. What I saw wasn't impossible, but it was weird like he promised. It was a picture of Maria and I standing in front of two humans who looked to be in their late 20's

"Let me see it." Maria said so I gave it to her. "Yeah, that is something." She commented.

"It gets better. Turn it around." Tails said. So Maria did and gasped when she saw the other side.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's writing on the back. It says, 'March 10th 1944- Us with our daughter Maria and her husband Shadow. We're going to be grandparents!' Do you know what this means?"

"Time travel." I said flatly

"We get to meet my parents silly. I wonder what they're like, I didn't see them much before I was put on the ARK." Then something hit me.

"Are you pregnant?" I asked Maria.

"How did you know? Did you find the test?"

"No. This morning gave me a clue, and the picture confirms it. If they know they are going to be grandparents we obviously tell them that ourselves."

"That's a good point. And that's what I was going to tell you this morning." I was so happy I picked her up and spun us around.

"Finally, I was worried we wouldn't be able to have a kid the normal way." I said as I put her down.

"I wish I could be that happy." I heard Tails say under his breath.

"Okay seriously, what's up?" Maria asked him sternly. Tails exhaled loudly.

"I guess you would have found out eventually. The thing is that you aren't the only one who is pregnant around here Maria."

"Then who is?" I asked. Please don't be Cream.

"It's Cream." Damn it. "It was a total accident, but we decided that we would keep it."

"I guess that's better than other things you could have said." Maria said awkwardly.

"Maybe. We haven't told Vanilla and Vector yet so please keep a lid on this."

"You have a week then because they invited us to dinner and I'm not going to lie to them." I said.

"Fair enough. So how are you going to get to the past?"

"Easy. I'm sure Sonic still has that purple Chaos Emerald that I used to go back and save Maria. We'll use that."

**Maria POV**

The next day we were back at Tails' workshop ready to go to the past and see my parents.

"You know, Silver would love this." Shadow said before he opened the portal.

"How so?"

"Because this is kinda like Back to the Future with the whole go back in time and meet your parents thing and he loves that movie."

"Yeah, I guess your right." Then Tails came in.

"I'll be waiting here for you two to get back." He said. "And I'll be monitoring any anomalies. If something goes wrong, I'll get Sonic and we'll get a Time Stone or something and save you two."

"Good thinking." Shadow told him. Then he opened the portal. "CHRONOS CONTROL!"

"Isn't it Chaos Control?" I asked.

"Yeah, but we're time traveling so I changed it. You ready to go?" I nodded and took Shadow's hand. We decided to walk into the portal this time since we weren't running for our lives this time. When we emerged we were in 1944 Station Square, as we found out by looking at a newspaper.

"Do we still have the map to my parent's house?" I asked. We did some research last night to see where they lived. Shadow checked his bag.

"Yes, and the picture is still there and looking the same as well."

"Good, then let's go." It took us about 15 minutes to find the house. It was smallish like ours and painted blue. I knocked on the door and a man who looked like a younger version of Ivo without the gut or the goggles answered the door.

"Hello, may I help you?" He asked us. I was frozen in place so Shadow answered.

"Maybe, are you Geraldo Robotnik?" He asked.

"Why yes I am. Do I know you?"

"No, but you do know my wife here."

"Are you sure? How do you know me?" I finally got the courage up to speak.

"I'm your daughter."

**Shadow POV**

Maria's parents were understandably shocked. They didn't believe us until we showed them the picture and Maria showed them the birthmark on the back of her leg. After all that we were sitting at their kitchen table with some drinks.

"So, how did you two meet?" Maria's mother, whose name is Meredith, asked.

"Well, if I remember correctly, I will be 'born' on the ARK sometime in the next two weeks. I used the air quotes because Professor Gerald created me and therefore I have no parents."

"Why did my father create you?"

"Basically I was created to be the Ultimate Lifeform so I could cure Maria of her NIDS. My first memory is actually of Maria looking at me while I was inside my tube."

"Okay, I'm just going to ask, what happened. Because Maria wasn't a hedgehog before she left and now she is." Geraldo asked. Maria had the answer.

"7 years from now G.U.N. is going to raid the ARK. Don't try and stop it, that will just screw things up. Oringinally only Shadow, my grandfather, and the future G.U.N. commander survived the attack, but by traveling to the exact day of the incident Shadow saved me as well. When that happened the Chaos Emeralds turned me into this. It turns out that hedgehogs can't have NIDS so I was cured. Then things happened and we fell in love and got married."

"How long ago was that?" Meredith asked.

"Our time's yesterday was our 2nd anniversary." I answered. "And we just found out Maria is pregnant."

"That's wonderful!" Meredith said giving Maria a huge hug. Her dad smiled but didn't get up.

"Are you two prepared for that responsibility?" He asked us.

"We think we are. We just bought a new house and Shadow has a very good paying job as a bodyguard." Maria answered.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Her mother asked me.

"Better than my last job as a G.U.N. agent." They gave me a questioning look. "I had amnesia and forgot what they did." I lied, but they bought it. So after that we stayed for dinner and then we got a camera and took the picture that was going to be in Tails' book in the future. As we got ready to leave Maria's parents wanted to speak to me alone.

"Shadow, I want to thank you for letting us see our little girl one last time." Her mother began. "You obviously love each other very much and that makes me so happy."

"And I might not act like it but, I'm happy to." Geraldo said. "But let me be clear, we might be dead in the future, but if you hurt my daughter I will haunt you for the rest of your life." He tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. "Just kidding, you seem like a nice enough guy. Good luck being a father, it's hard work." I thanked them both and met Maria outside.

"This was fun Shadow, thank you." Maria said. "Wait! Shouldn't we tell them where to put the picture?"

"No, our picture is still intact so they must do what needs to be done for Tails to get it."

"Good point. Now, let's get home quick. I might be getting sick."

"Okay. CHRONOS CONTROL!"

**3rd Person POV (Still in the past.)**

Black Doom was sitting at his command chair on the bridge of the Black Comet when one of his officers came up to him with an urgent message.

"Sir, we have found a strange anomaly on the radar." The officer said handing him a tablet map.

"Hm, I don't remember sending any of my Doom's Eyes out that far. Are you sure that's my DNA signature?"

"There is a 98% chance that it is your DNA."

"That's a good chance then. What planet is that?"

"Mobius sir."

"Interesting. Ship, set a course to this planet called Mobius."

"Coordinates accepted. Estimated time of arrival is one week."

**A/N- Because someone might ask, Black Doom probably came to Mobius during the first loop of the timeline because he scanned the Chaos Emeralds power and wanted them, but know that Shadow went to the past he comes because Shadow has some of his DNA and Black Doom wants to know why his DNA is there. So effectively Shadow had a small part in his own creation.**


	36. Epilogue Part 2- 9 Months Later

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 36

**Maria POV**

I was waiting on the couch for Shadow to bring me a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream when I felt a weird sensation in the lower half of my body. Suddenly my seat was wet and a throbbing pain hit my stomach. Because of all the birthing classes Shadow and I took I knew what this meant.

"Shadow! Forget the ice cream, the baby is coming!" I yelled as I staggered up off the couch. Shadow helped me outside and into the car. Yeah, Shadow traded in his motorcycle and got a car, mainly because we didn't know how Chaos Control or running at high speeds would affect a small child.

"Do you think you'll be able to make it?" Shadow asked as he turned the ignition.

"If you step on it, then yes. Did you tell the others?"

"I texted Sonic and him and Amy will do the rest. Now just stay calm and focus on your breathing." Shadow shifted the car into drive and we were off. I tried my best to focus on my breathing, but I couldn't help letting out a few moans. We got to the hospital as fast as we could and Shadow helped me out of the car and into a wheelchair. He followed behind as a nurse pushed me down the hall and into an elevator.

"I'm sorry, but there's no more room in here for you." The nurse said to Shadow.

"Fine, I'll take the stairs or something. What room are you taking her to?"

"553." The nurse answered quickly as the door closed. "How are your contractions?" She asked turning to me.

"They're getting closer by the minute."

"Okay, we'll be there in a minute. Hopefully your husband will get there fast enough as well."

"He's already there." I said but the nurse's face told me she didn't believe what I said. But she was proven wrong when we saw Shadow inside the room with a mask, scrubs, and gloves chatting with the doctor. I was placed on the bed and hooked up to some monitors. Then the real pain started. My arm shot out and I grabbed Shadow's arm. I squeezed it hard hoping it would make the pain go away. It didn't.

"Maria, you're going to break my arm!" Sorta forgot about my super strength there, wouldn't you?

"Sorry, it just hurts!"

"I think this is it." The doctor said. "When I say so push." I nodded, confirming that I understood. "Okay, on three. One, two, three, push!" I pushed as hard as I could and I felt things moving. "Push!" I did again. "Push!" I was running out of energy. "One more time should do it. Push!" I pushed with all my remaining strength and I felt the baby finally escape my body. "Congratulations, it's a girl."

**Shadow POV**

After the doctor cleaned her off he handed me my newborn daughter to hold. She was so peaceful like her mother. She was mostly yellowish-blond like Maria but she had red stripes like mine in the same places as mine.

"Can I see her?" Maria asked, so I handed her over. "She has your eyes." She said. She was right, the baby's eyes were red like mine.

"What are we going to name her?" I asked.

"I kinda like the name Hope. What about you?"

"I think that's a perfect name for her. I think that everyone is here, do you want to let them in?" Maria nodded and walked down to the waiting room in the happiest mood I'd ever had in my life.

**A/N- Yes, them naming their child Hope is a shout out to the character in the comics.**


	37. Epilogue Part 3- 5 Years Later

**A/N- This the second chapter posted today. Make sure you read the first one if you haven't.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 37

**Shadow POV**

I was enjoying lying in bed with Maria when suddenly I was awoken by someone jumping on the bed and conversely my body.

"Mommy, Daddy, wake up! It's the first day of school!" Hope said excitedly while continuously jumping up and down. I looked at the clock and saw it was six in the morning.

"Hope, it's only 6. The bus doesn't come until 7:30." I said rubbing my eyes. Hope's beaming smile greeted me when I moved my hands away.

"I know Daddy, but I want to be prepared because I'm excited." Obviously, I never went to school so I'm kinda happy that Hope will get to.

"Okay, but you need to get dressed in some normal clothes first." Maria told her as she rolled over to get a better view.

"Will you help me pick out my outfit Mommy?" Hope asked her.

"Sure, go to your room and I'll be there in a minute."

"Yay!" And with that Hope got off the bed and ran out of the room.

"Can you believe it Shadow? Our little girl is going to be going to school."

"Yeah, it sure is something. Sooner or later she'll be smarter than both of us." I joked.

"Good thing we're not home schooling her then." Maria joked back. Then she gave me a peck on the cheek and got out of bed. "Do you mind making Hope's lunch while I help her get dressed?" She asked.

"Sure." I said getting out of bed as well. I shuffled to the kitchen and looked at what we had. I grabbed a paper bag and put in an apple, some water, and an orange. Thinking that wasn't enough I also made a turkey sandwich, with the crust on because Hope likes it that way, cut it in half, and put it in the bag as well. Then I got a marker and wrote Hope's name on it. About that time Maria and Hope came out into the living room so I joined them. Hope was wearing a simple purple dress with a pair of jeans underneath. Before I could say anything Maria spoke up.

"She wanted to wear her blue overalls and pink shirt, but I talked her out of it." That outfit was her favorite but it was getting way too small for her. I should get her a new set sometime soon. Anyway I handed Hope her lunch and she smiled at me.

"Thank you Daddy. How do I look?" She asked spinning around.

"You're very pretty Hope. Are you all ready for school?"

"Uh-huh, I have my backpack full of supplies and my lunch you made me."

"You're forgetting something important." I said in a fake worried tone.

"What is it? I don't want to miss anything!" She's somewhat hyper sometimes.

"You're forgetting this." I said giving her a huge hug. "I just want to say I love you and that I'm proud of you."

"I love you too Hope." Maria said joining in.

"I love you too Mommy and Daddy. But you're acting really silly."

"We know honey." Maria started. "You'll understand when you're older. Now, before the bus comes, we need to remind you of some things."

"Okay."

"So, what did we tell you about using your powers?"

"It's okay to use them to help people and don't hurt anybody unless they're hurting someone else." Hope pretty much had a toned down version of my powers, but that's probably because she's only 5. And I know how dangerous my powers can be.

"Very good Hope. Now if someone is being mean to you who do you tell?" I asked.

"I tell my teacher and don't start a fight."

"That's right. And remember, you'll have Iggy, Sammy, Emerald, and Jess there as friends. But I'm sure you'll make some new friends as well." Maria told her. Then the bus drove up. Maria walked Hope outside and then came back inside.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked.

"I think so, it's only kindergarten."

"Yeah, I guess." I said slowly.

"You're going to follow the bus aren't you?"

"You know me too well."


	38. Epilogue Part 4- 15 Years Later

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 38

**Shadow POV**

"Well, I've taught all of you as well as I can. But I have one final test for you all." You might be wondering what's going on. You see, I took it upon myself to train everyone's kids how to use their power. Sonic and everyone aren't going to be around forever and Maria and I can't be everywhere at once. Not yet anyway. "Remember when we started I took out all of you in 20 seconds? Well here's your chance to do better. Each of you will go one on one with me and see how well you do." Everyone was here for the kid's last lesson. The first one to go was Sonic and Amy's son Charles. Sonic named him after his uncle so he usually calls him Chuck. The rest of us call him Casper because of his powers. He can't run as fast as his father but he can vibrate his atoms so fast he practically turns invisible and can phase through walls.

"Do your best son!" Sonic called from his seat. Casper nodded and turned to me. We bowed to each other and the first fight began. I teleported behind him and got an easy hit in before he phased. He flew back but recovered by phasing into the air and floating since he weighs less than air in that form. I knew it was going to be impossible to hit him so I waited for him to try and attack me. You see, the drawback of his power is that he has to materialize what part of his body he wants to hit something with. It's not so bad against robots, but people who can think could just grab him. So when he materialized his arm I got ready to grab it but instead of trying to hit me a pole extended out of his hand and smacked me in the side of the head.

"Nice shot Casper. Did Jess make that for you." Jess is Tails and Cream's daughter. She's not much of a fighter, but she's a good tech person like her father.

"Yep, and I can make it phase in and out as well."

"Good plan. You pass." I told him. The next one up was Iggy. Now his life has been interesting. He went blind when he was 5. But lucky for him his powers sorta make up for it. The closest thing I can relate it to is Spider-sense. He knows where everything is and what it's doing at all times. He also has some great ears. He can hear a fly land from a mile away.

"I'm ready for you this time Shad." He said with a rare smile. He's understandably a bit angsty. Not as much as I was but still. But ever since he started dating Hope he's been doing better. And before you ask, yes Maria tried to heal him but it didn't work because it's a genetic thing not an eye thing.

"Really, then let's go." I said. We bowed and as soon as he rose up Iggy pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Then all the lights went out. "Was that an EMP?" I asked as he started attacking me.

"Yep, Jess made it." He replied between attacks.

"Well then, Jess you pass for making everyone gadgets." I got out quickly since I was sorta on the ropes. So I started teleporting around because even though Iggy can sense everything he still needs to react to it quick enough to attack. But after about five teleports I received what felt like a jumping uppercut to my jaw that floored me. Then the lights came back on. "How'd you know where I was to hit me?" I asked shaking my head to clear it.

"I heard your breathing after you teleported." Iggy answered while offering his hand to help me up. I took it and stood up.

"That was a solid punch. It would have knocked me out 15 years ago." I'm getting stronger with every day and ring. "You pass." Iggy grinned and, since she was next, Hope came over and kissed him on the cheek. Iggy whispered something in her ear before she spoke to me.

"Ready to lose Dad?" She asked with a cocky smile.

"I'd like to see you try."

**Maria POV**

What a day. It's a good thing Shadow is tough because he got some pretty good shots given to him by the kids. Anyway, Shadow and I were sitting on the couch waiting for Hope to come home from her date with Iggy.

"It's getting kinda late, should I go look for them?" Shadow asked.

"I think their fine, Iggy is a good guy."

"I know, I'm just worried." And right then Hope came into the house with a huge grin on her face.

"You look happy." I said wondering what was happening. "How was your date?"

"It was good, we went to a fancy restaurant and I drove him home. And then he proposed to me!" I knew it! I saw him talking to Shadow in private about a week ago.

"I'm so happy for you." I said getting up and giving her a hug.

"Me too." Shadow said joining in. "When's the wedding?

"Dad!"

**A/N- Remember, two chapters today.**


	39. Epilouge Part 5- 30 Years Later

**A/N- Again make sure to read the first chapter I posted today. And as a note that is relevant to this chapter, Maria's healing power does not stop the aging process. But Shadow's effect on her does, so she still looks youngish.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 39

**Shadow POV**

We all knew this day would come, but none of us were prepared for it. Sonic was dying, not from a battle, not from sickness, just old age. Most everyone was there except all the little kids, Maria had decided to watch them to spare them this moment.

"G-Guys, I know I'm dying but I have some things to say." Sonic got out weakly. Amy was at his side.

"Sonic, save your breath." She said worried.

"No Amy, I have to do this." He turned his head to face us. "You guys have been the best friends and partners a guy could ever have. I may have been a bit hard to deal with in my younger years and I apologize. Charles, take care of your mother, and Sam you take care of Charles. And Amy, I know you've already forgiven me for the way I hurt you in the past, but I just have to say I'm sorry one last time and that even though I'll be gone I'll still love you forever." And with that Sonic went silent. His vitals were slowly dropping and the doctors came in to check on him. At this point we were prepared for anything except for what actually happened. Emerald, Knuckles and Rouge's daughter, started holding her head in her hands like she was in pain.

"Guys, I'm feeling something huge going on!" She said. She has the ability to sense the Chaos Force and it's movements so we all knew something was about to happen. Then, right before our eyes a bright flash appeared and out of it stepped Tikal and Chaos.

"Greetings everyone." She greeted us politely.

"Tikal, what are you doing here? Can't you see Sonic is dying?" Knuckles asked for everyone.

"Yes, that's why we're here. We have an offer for him. We're tired of being guardians and the best person we know to replace us is Sonic."

"Well, he's kinda not talking at the moment." Silver said.

"I can help with that." Tikal said floating a ball of energy over to him. Sonic gasped and his vitals returned to normal slightly.

"I accept on one condition, Amy comes with me." Sonic said with confidence.

"I can't see a reason why she couldn't." Tikal said.

"But what will happen to you two?" Amy asked.

"We will live out the lives we never had. Besides, the Master Emerald will need a new protector after Knuckles is dead. Are you two ready?" Sonic and Amy nodded and Tikal placed her hands on the pair and in a flash they disappeared.

**Maria POV**

When everyone walked out of Sonic's room I expected the worst had happened. What I didn't expect was Tikal and Chaos to come out of the room.

"I'll explain in a second. For now let Tikal and Chaos take care of the kids, we need to have a group talk. Shadow said noticing my look as the rest of them entered an empty room.

"Okay kids, I need to talk to your families for a minute so Aunt Tikal and Uncle Chaos are going to watch you." I told the kinds and then I entered into the other room. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Tikal and Chaos just made Sonic and Amy the new Guardians of the Chaos Force." Shadow told me. "I think it would be best if we tell people they died."

"Why?" Samantha asked.

"Because, no one will believe the story of what actually happened and if Eggman finds out he'll try to kill them both for real and forever. Are we all in agreement?" Everyone agreed and we went back to the waiting room. We saw all the kids poking Chaos and him actually enjoying it.

"Look grandma, he's made of Jell-O!"

"I think they're going to like him Maria."


	40. Epilouge Part 6- 45 Years Later

**A/N- Last two chapters are up today! All the thanks and stuff will be in the next chapter.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 40

**Maria POV**

"Okay, this is it. Today is the day Eggman is taken down for good. Does everyone understand their roles in this plan?" Shadow asked pacing back and forth. Ivo was on the loose again and this would be the time he's going to try and trick Shadow. But we were prepared.

"Sure thing Dad. Me and Iggy are in charge of crowd control and evacuation." Hope said. You may be wondering how Iggy has lived so long. Well he didn't. It's actually Chaos in disguise. It turns out he's a great shapeshifter and can replicate anyone's look and memories just by touching them. He likes Iggy's form because he got attached to Hope after he came back to our world. We all pretty much treat him like he is Iggy because he acts just like he did before he died. And no, none of us think it's weird that him and Hope still act like they're married.

"That's right. By the way, where is Iggy?"

"I don't know, he's been gone for a few days. I'm sure he'll be there.

"Okay then. Ivo, is that computer thing ready?" Yeah, we got Anit-Ivo to help us as well.

"Yes, the cyber detention device is ready. It should weaken him over time but to completely seal him you'll have to get him down to just his core CPU."

"Excellent. That just leaves me to not get tricked, rip apart his armor, and get the core. And Maria will heal everyone as needed."

"And I'll have a Chaos Emerald so it will be more effective." We had all 7, but we could only let Ivo know we had 6 so he would try and trick Shadow.

"Yeah, let's keep that in mind as well." Then Shadow looked around the room. "Okay seriously, where the hell is Iggy?!"

**Shadow POV**

So, skipping all the boring stuff, I was face to face with Eggman. He was in Metal Sonic's Madness form where he sorta looks like a huge dragon type thing.

"I can't believe you're trying to stop me like this. It took Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles just to defeat Metal in this form. Hey, I know, I'll just give you the last Chaos Emerald I have just to make it fair." This was the trap. He floated the purple Chaos Emerald, which had Mephiles trapped inside of it, to me. The other six I had joined it and started orbiting my body. But, just as I was about to transform I stopped them.

"What?!" Why'd you stop?" Eggman asked confused.

"I have my reasons. Let me ask you a question. Did Sonic ever tell you about the one time he went Super off 6 Emeralds with sheer force of will?"

"No." He said and if he was human his eyes would have bugged out as I Chaos Controlled the trap Emerald to a safe at my house. Then, with a bit of yelling for emphasis, I used the other 6 Emeralds to transform in to my Super form. After that it was a piece of cake. Except for the core. It was almost impenetrable.

"How are we going to open this?" Maria asked.

"I have no idea, but this may work." I said as I picked up one of the many destroyed robot's laser guns. I was about to shoot the core to try and open it when Hope stopped me.

"Wait Dad, I sense something." She said. Then the core blew open and a light blue liquid splattered all over us.

"So that's where you were Iggy." I said as he reformed and morphed into shape.

"Yeah, Egghead tricked me and used my powers to transform into Metal Madness."

"I'm just happy you're fine." Hope told him giving him a kiss. Then I handed the core over to the other Ivo.

"I'll make sure he never escapes. See you around." And he went back to his dimension.

"Whew," I started. "that actually tired me out some. But I'm glad we're almost done fixing all the time travel stuff. We just have one more thing to take care of, Silver and Blaze."


	41. Epilouge Part 7- 96 Years Later

**A/N- And here's the final chapter. I would like to thank Samus PWNS the Chief hard, iggyrules517, TheBlueAlienRobotZombie, Steve993, HBee16, Thomas Holmes II, PeaceLoveSonicandChao, AngeliclyAwesome123, TailsDoll13, jazzybizzle, SonicBlueBlur, Gloomy Shadows, xxxShadmariaxxx, ABSOselfRBED, Kevin-T-stormhog, Random Person, corpman Auger, The General 321, Van39MaxKatAlex4, Brandon the Lynx, Sunheart13, ProjectSarah4, lydiathetigeropean, Kera Cooper 20, ShadowandMadonna, Sentinel07, imnotraven16, and Duskii for reviewing. You guys have made this story the 3rd most reviewed Shadow/Maria story and it's really close to being 2nd. So, without anymore stalling, the final chapter. Enjoy.**

The Ultimate Lifeform Slows Down Chapter 41

**14 Year Old Silver POV**

"Blaze, do you ever wonder if our lives are meant for more than just staying here the whole time?" I asked as we were walking down the castle hallways.

"I've never really thought about it Silver. Though it does get boring around here sometimes so I know where you're coming from. But do you really think now is the best time to think about that?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right Blaze." We were summoned by the queen five minutes ago and we didn't know why. All we were doing was some extra training before our guard shift started. Anyway, as we entered the throne room it was pretty barren at the time. The only people in there were Queen Maria, her bodyguard Iggy, and a hooded figure who had their face concealed. Blaze and I bowed and then rose back up.

"What do you need from us our Majesty?" Blaze asked the queen.

"How many times have I told you, you can just call me Maria. We're friends so it's fine."

"Well, you have a guest, I didn't know how you know them."

"Sorry I should have told you, he's my husband." I was shocked. There was a King as well as a Queen?

"Well, they were going to find out eventually." The hooded voice said. It was familiar, but I didn't find out who it was until he pulled his hood down.

"Shadow?!" Both Blaze and I asked in surprise. We didn't expect out combat instructor to be there and be the King of Mobius.

"Yeah, I know it's a surprise. But I had my reasons."

"Why are you here and why are you being so secretive?" I asked him.

"Well, I couldn't let you guys know I was the king because you wouldn't have taken be seriously. I've been training you two specifically to go on a secret mission for me. The fate of the universe is at stake." I was still shocked and so was Blaze, but she was calm enough to respond.

"Where do you need us to go?"

"That's the other thing, I need you two to go to the past to meet my younger self. You see, I'm about 270 years old and immortal." I was getting a bit wary about all this, so I asked a question.

"Do you have proof of this?" I asked. Shadow responded by pulling out a weathered photograph and handing it to me. It was of him, me and Blaze all smiling and being friendly.

"That's from a very long time ago, about 195 years give or take some." Shadow commented. I handed the picture to Blaze and her eyes widened.

"So, If we're to go to the past, what are we supposed to do?" I asked.

"Well, Shadow and I have compiled a list of things that you need to do." Maria said to us while handing us two big envelopes.

"Each envelope is tailored to what you both need to do. But it is important that you don't show each other's instructions so you don't mess up the time stream." Shadow added. "Anything that isn't listed though is up to you."

"You really went all out didn't you two?" I asked.

"We had to, or none of this would exist and the world would be in fiery ruins." Maria said. "Now I know that it might be hard for you to leave but know this, you will make many friends and you will find answers to the questions you have about your lives."

"Well, I'm convinced. What about you Silver?" Blaze asked turning to me. I mulled it over. I only really had one friend here and she was going to be going with me if I went. And I don't want the world to be ruined. I had made up my mind.

"Yeah, let's do it." I said confidently.

"Okay then, I'll open the portal." Shadow said pulling out a glowing purple rock. "CHRONOS CONTROL!" A purple portal opened up in front of us.

"Good luck you two, and have fun!" Maria said as we walked through it. On the other side we were in a lush green field that was a stark opposite to the technological time we lived in. I opened up my envelope and read the first instruction.

_1. She likes you back, give it a few years (about 4) but she'll come around._

**Shadow POV**

"And now for Mephiles." I said pulling out a scepter we had used to seal him a few years ago. I gave Blaze one exactly like it to trap him again. "As soon as he hits the ground he'll be released."

"It has to be done." Maria told me.

"I know." And with that I threw it and the purple Chaos Emerald into the portal. The all three of us looked around. Everything looked fine, but I had to make sure. "Let's find out if we're good." I pulled a lever and the Master Emerald rose from the ground in the middle of the room.

"Do the honors Iggy." Maria said. And yes, it's still actually Chaos. He touched the Master Emerald and it started glowing. Then two ethereal figures, one blue and one pink, came out of it like genies in a bottle.

"Hey guys, what' up?" Sonic asked us. "Just kidding, I already know. It's a perk of being Guardian."

"Good job convincing Silver and Blaze too." Amy added.

"So, is everything good? Did we fix it?" I asked them.

"Yep. The timeline is secure. You're done, and might I say you guys did a good job pulling off a 200 year plan." Sonic said. "Well, we need to deal with something so see you later. And don't be a stranger." And with that they faded back into the Master Emerald. I turned to Maria.

"We did it!" I said hugging her and spinning around.

"I'm so relieved. But what are we going to do now?"

"Well, I was thinking, our anniversary is coming up, why don't we renew our vows and reveal to the rest of Mobius that I'm actually the king?"

"Is saving the universe giving you a swelled head?" Maria joked.

"Nah, you would never let me get away with that. So what do you think?"

"I think it's a lovely idea Shady."

"Well now, I haven't heard that in a while."

"Then how's this? I love you."

"I love you too Maria, now and forever."

**A/N- Yes! It's finally done. So, yeah. My next story is kinda short (7 chapters) and it's about Silver and Blaze. After that I'm probably taking a break from writing for a while to reload on ideas. If you want to read a preview of my next story you can visit my Tumblr blog which is linked in my profile page.**


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